Microphotometric analysis of Hodgkin's disease in comparison with adult T cell lymphoma.

In order to achieve a clear distinction between Hodgkin's disease (HD) and peripheral T cell lymphomas, a microphotometric analysis was made on 5 micron thick sections, by illustrating a nuclear density scattergram (NDS) and a superimposed DNA histogram (S-DNA H) which was composed of cell populations by nuclear size versus DNA content. HD cells (including mononuclear cells, Reed-Sternberg's cells, and lacunar cells) showed the oblique zonal cluster (OZC) on the NDS, indicating their proliferative ability. In particular, the small HD cells in lymphocytic depletion (LD) meant their high proliferation. The lymphocytes among HD cells showed an euploid diploid pattern. The HD cells of the borderline cases, having lymphocytes with twisted or distorted nuclei, proliferated with higher and wider ploidy than the HD cells in LD. The population of HD cells in the borderline cases was much larger than that of the HD cell-like cells in adult T cell lymphoma (ATL), pleomorphic type. The distorted lymphocytes fall in the euploid diploid range and had smaller nuclei than the medium-sized neoplastic T cells in ATL.