Blood, 1966, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 544-556.
© 1966 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Sternberg-Reed Cells in the Peripheral Blood
of Patients with Hodgkin’s Disease
BERTHA A. BOURONCLE 1 and
Rosemary Mann 1
1 Department of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Our observations of 135 patients indicate that 37 per cent of those suffering
from Hodgkin’s disease exhibit abnormal cells in the leukocyte concentrates of
the peripheral blood during the course of their illness. Typical Sternberg-Reed
cells were found in 18.5 per cent of patients and were present only in the
advanced stages of generalized Hodgkin’s disease.
The presence of Sternberg-Reed cells in the peripheral blood indicates an
advanced stage of the disease but does not necessarily predict an immediately
fatal outcome.
Comparative studies, searching for Sternberg-Reed cells in the splenic circulation, showed no Sternberg-Reed cells to be present in the splenic arteries of
patients with Hodgkin’s disease; but numerous Sternberg-Reed cells were present in the splenic vein, particularly after mechanical squeezing of the spleen.
A possible hypothesis is given to support the evidence for the circulation of
Sternberg-Reed cells and an explanation for their lower incidence in the peripheral blood.
Our observations support the hematogenous metastasis of Hodgkin’s disease.
Submitted on June 2, 1965
Accepted on August 2, 1965
