[Proliferating cells in Hodgkin's disease]

We have studied the proliferation fraction of Hodgkin- and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells and L&H cells in paraffin sections of 15 cases of classical Hodgkin's disease (HD) (12 nodular sclerosis [NS], 3 mixed cellularity [MC]) and 8 cases of nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's disease (NLPHD) using an antibody to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). By double staining with anti-PCNA and antibodies to B- and T-cells we also determined the growth fraction and immunophenotype of the background lymphocytes in each case. In classical HD 45.3% of HRS cells, and in NLPHD 76.9% of L&H cells were in cycle. In both classical HD and NLPHD the majority of proliferating cells in the background were T-cells with 57.8% respectively 68.5%, whereas only a few B-cells were proliferating in each type of HD.