Reed-Sternberg cells serve primarily as a diagnostic marker for which condition?

Reed-Sternberg cells serve primarily as a diagnostic marker for which condition?

• A. Hodgkin's Lymphoma
• B. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
• C. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
• D. Waldenström's macroglobulinemia

Answer: (A)

Reed-Sternberg cells are large, abnormal B cells with distinctive owl-eye–like nuclei that appear in tissue when Hodgkin lymphoma is present. Their appearance in a lymph node biopsy is the hallmark that defines classical Hodgkin lymphoma, because they are characteristic of this disease and are not a feature used to diagnose the other listed conditions. In classical Hodgkin lymphoma, these cells are often a minority among a reactive inflammatory background, yet their presence, along with the typical immunophenotype (CD30 and CD15 positivity, with weak PAX5), reliably confirms the diagnosis. This is why Hodgkin lymphoma is the best answer: Reed-Sternberg cells are diagnostic for it and are not the defining feature of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, which have different cellular and immunophenotypic hallmarks.

Reed-Sternberg cells are large, abnormal B cells with distinctive owl-eye–like nuclei that appear in tissue when Hodgkin lymphoma is present. Their appearance in a lymph node biopsy is the hallmark that defines classical Hodgkin lymphoma, because they are characteristic of this disease and are not a feature used to diagnose the other listed conditions. In classical Hodgkin lymphoma, these cells are often a minority among a reactive inflammatory background, yet their presence, along with the typical immunophenotype (CD30 and CD15 positivity, with weak PAX5), reliably confirms the diagnosis. This is why Hodgkin lymphoma is the best answer: Reed-Sternberg cells are diagnostic for it and are not the defining feature of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, which have different cellular and immunophenotypic hallmarks.