Plasmacytoid monocytes (so‐called plasmacytoid T cells) in Hodgkin's disease

The occurrence and distribution of plasmacytoid monocytes (so-called plasmacytoid T cells) were investigated immunohistochemically in 40 cases of Hodgkin's disease. Large numbers of plasmacytoid monocytes were found in all cases of lymphocyte predominance, nodular sclerosing, and mixed cellularity Hodgkin's disease, characterized by a minor degree of architectural effacement. They occurred at the periphery of lymphoid aggregates which mimic the composite nodule of the reactive lymph node and which contained Reed-Sternberg cells and their variants. Despite some immunophenotypic similarities, no further arguments were found to support a relationship between plasmacytoid monocytes and Reed-Sternberg cells. We conclude that plasmacytoid monocytes represent one of the monocyte-derived cells that contribute to the cellular reaction in Hodgkin's disease.