Delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity testing in untreated Hodgkin's disease using a standardized new device.

Delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity to 7 recall antigens has been tested in 32 patients with untreated Hodgkin's disease using a standardized and reproducible system. Anergy to all 7 antigens was observed in 15/32 patients and hypoergy in 4/32 leading to a cumulative deficiency rate of 59%. Although the defect was distributed throughout all stages, substages and histologic types, it seemed to predominate in less favorable forms of the disease as well as in female patients.