[Hodgkin's disease. Clinical and histopathological aspects]

Histopathological aspects with relative classification criteria and anatomoclinical features are examined in a review of Hodgkin's disease. The major classifications proposed are reported and discussed, mention being made of that of Jackson and Parker going back to 1944 (paragranuloma, granuloma and sarcoma) which provided the starting point for further discussion and research. Through a reworking of the calssification of Lukes et al. (1963) this led to the adoption of the Rye classification (1965) which distinguished 4 varieties: lymphocyte predominance, nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity, lymphocyte depletion. This classification is still accepted by most researchers. The first part of the paper is completed by some cytological and microscopic findings. The anatomoclinical classification criteria (Rye and Ann Arbor) are then described. The clinical aspects of the various localizations, symptomatology and haematological findings are examined. Finally, a small personal series is reported, emphasis being laid on the fact that often it is only by explorative laparotomy completed by splenectomy that it is possible to obtain a definite judgment on the real clinical stage of the disease, together with better therapeutic results.