“…Traditionally, Reed-Sternberg cells have been considered the diagnostic insignia of Hodgkin's disease (Sternberg 1898;Reed 1902;Jackson and Parker 1944;Rappaport 1966;Lukes, Butler, and Hicks 1966). It has become apparent, however, that Reed-Sternberg cells, while diagnostic for Hodgkin's disease, are not pathognomonic for that lesion and may be observed in other diseases (Harrison 1966;Symmers 1968;Lukes, Tindle, and Parker 1969;Hartsock 1968;Strum, Park, and Rappaport 1970;McMahon, Gordon, and Rosen 1970;Agliozzo and Reingold 1971;Tindle, Parker, and Lukes 1972). Infectious mononucleosis as a reactive, and therefore essentially reversible, process has been confused with Hodgkin's disease, as described by the authors cited above, as well as with other lesions in which there is marked cellular pleomorphism, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, especially immunoblastic sarcoma (Tindle 1981), and nonlymphoid neoplasms (Strum, Park, and Rappaport 1970).…”