doiSerbia

Atypical hodgkin and reed-sternberg cells in peripheral blood of a patient with advanced stage of Hodgkin's disease - a case report

Milošević Rajko (Institut za hematologiju, Klinički centar Srbije, Beograd)
Čolović Milica R. (Institut za hematologiju, Klinički centar Srbije, Beograd)
Čemerikić-Martinović Vesna (Institut za hematologiju, Klinički centar Srbije, Beograd)
Čolović Nataša (Institut za hematologiju, Klinički centar Srbije, Beograd)
Bogunović Marina (Institut za hematologiju, Klinički centar Srbije, Beograd)

The occurrence of abnormal Hodgkin's and Reed-Sternberg cells in the peripheral blood in a patient suffering from Hodgkin's disease has been noticed exceptionally rare in a previous period, and especially rare in last ten years primarily due to successfull treatment of this disease. The presence of atypical mononuclear cells in peripheral blood which cytomorphologically resembled Reed-Sternberg cells was registered in 8 patients till 1966. During the last decade, the presence of atypical mononuclear cells in the peripheral blood was used for their isolation cultivation, and detailed immunophenotypic and genetic analysis. The analysis of mononuclear cells in rare patients with Hodgkin's disease was established that they belong to the B-lymphoid cells with expression of CD30 and CD15 antigens. The examination of presence of Hodgkin's cells in the peripheral blood of patients with Hodgkin's disease is important for patients with advanced stage of the disease in which autologous stem cell transplantation and high dose chmeotherapy is planned. The authors present a 33-year-old patient, who noticed enlarged neck lymph nodes in September 2000, high temperature and loss in weight. On physical examination enlarged neck lymph nodes 5x8 cm and hepatosplenomegaly were found. There was anemia and thrombo-cytopenia, and normal WBC count with 24% of lymphoid elements in differential formula. On histologic examination of lymph nodes Hodgkin¢s disease, type nodular sclerosis with mixed cellularity was found. Histology of bone marrow showed nodal lymphomatous infiltration. Immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies of concentrate of peripheral blood cells showed expression of CD30+ and CD15+, immunophenotypically and morphologically matching Reed-Sternberg cells. Cytogentic analysis of mononuclear cells of the bone marrow showed normal karyotype. The patient was in clinical stage IV/V of the disease and chemotherapy with 9 cycles of ABVD+Mp protocol was applied. He is still in remission.

Keywords: Hodgkin's disease, Hodgkin cells, Reed-Sternberg cells, peri­pheral blood