[Hodgkin's disease with epithelioid cells. Study of 56 cases having undergone an exploratory laparotomy]

Histological examination of the various specimens taken during an exploratory laparotomy for Hodgkin's disease revealed the presence of epithelioid cells in 56 cases out of a total of 235 patients (i.e. 23.8 p. 100). These cells were disseminated throughout the lymphoid tissue or grouped in clumps, in plaques or, more rarely, as true follicles. They were found either in contact with Hodgkin's lesions or at a distance in organs free of disease. They were found in Lukes-Rye histological types 1, 2 and, above all, 3. Their significance remains unknown. The most likely hypotheses would appear to be those of a response to the accumulation of substances to be eliminated (tumour antigens?) or those of a disorder in cellular immunity.