Reed-Sternberg cells in sputum from a patient with Hodgkin's disease. A case report

A patient with stage IV Hodgkin's disease developed severe dyspnea and was found to have pulmonary infiltrates one year following his initial diagnosis of nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease, stage IIB. Two separate cell block sputum cytology samples demonstrated Reed-Sternberg cells. The patient died of respiratory failure. At autopsy the main findings were extensive confluent nodules of Hodgkin's disease nearly replacing the pulmonary parenchyma of both lungs. Cytology of sputum or bronchial washings may reveal diagnostic Reed-Sternberg cells and establish the diagnosis of pulmonary Hodgkin's disease without a lung biopsy.