Expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen in the different types of Hodgkin's disease

Thirty-eight cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD, lymphocyte-predominant, n = 10; nodular sclerosis, n = 10; mixed cellularity, n = 10; lymphocyte depletion, n = 8) were investigated with the antibody PC10 directed against the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) with B- and T-cell markers using a double-staining technique in paraffin-embedded material. It could be shown that nearly all (95-97%) Hodgkin's and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells and their variants were PCNA-positive regardless of the type of HD. There was only a low number of PCNA-positive lymphocytes (2.8-3.4%) in all types mostly consisting of MT1-positive T lymphocytes. In contrast to the other types, lymphocyte-predominant type showed a relatively high percentage (5%) of Leu-7-positive lymphocytes. The high percentage of PCNA-positive HRS cells correlates with their malignant nature, and might be another example of dysregulated expression of PCNA.