Lymphadenitis mimicking Hodgkin's disease

A variant of lymphadenitis mimicking interfollicular Hodgkin's disease is described. The morphology, immunohistochemistry and clinical course of 25 cases are reported. The morphology is characterized by changes in the interfollicular region within a well-preserved lymph node architecture. These changes include variegated hyperplasia of the pulp with epithelioid cells, mature eosinophilic granulocytes and immunoblasts occasionally resembling Hodgkin cells. In contrast to Hodgkin's disease no typical Sternberg-Reed cells could be found. Immunohistochemically, neither positive reactions with Hodgkin cell markers (anti-CD15: LeuM1; 3C4; C3D-1) nor B-cell monoclonality could be detected. Transition to malignancy, in particular Hodgkin's disease, did not occur in our cases.