Hodgkin's disease: a clinicopathologic study of 659 cases

A large number of histologic and clinical parameters were assessed, tabulated and intercorrelated in 659 patients with Hodgkin's disease evaluated and treated at Stanford University Medical Center. Nodular sclerosis was the most common pattern (60%) and also had the best total survival, but lymphocyte predominance had the best relapse-free survival. While a number of histologic parameters showed a significant correlation with relapse-free survival, multivariate analysis showed that age, stage, and treatment were relatively more important. Of the histologic parameters, only the number of lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and amount of sclerosis remained significant after multivariate analysis. The positive correlation of sclerosis, negative correlation of the number of fibroblasts and lack of correlation of lacunar cells with relapse free survival in patients with nodular sclerosis suggested that the type of mesenchymal reaction was of prime importance in determining prognosis in that form of Hodgkin's disease. The number of lymphocytes did not independently affect prognosis in patients with nodular sclerosis but did so for the entire group. The cellular phase of nodular sclerosis was found to have an overall survival and some clinical features more akin to mixed cellularity Hodgkin's disease.