Stromal macrophage-histiocytes in Hodgkin's disease. Their relation to fever.

Morphologic variations of Concanavalin A-binding histiocytes were studied in biopsy specimens of 140 untreated patients with Hodgkin's disease (72 asymptomatic, and 68 with constitutional symptoms). Fever was the most common symptom, present in 57 of the 68 patients. Three morphologic types of stromal histiocytes were recognized: medium-sized cells similar to those seen in reactive follicles, characterized by distinct cytoplasm and cell borders, and uniform nuclei (Type A); damaged-appearing Type A cells marked by rarefied or ragged cytoplasm, disrupted or indistinct cell borders, and varying sized nuclei (Type B); and large spindling or stellate cells (Type C). Type A cells were predominant in 52 patients; Type B cells in 51; Type C cells in seven; and Type A cells were mixed with Type B in 30. Fever was present in one of 52 patients (1.9%) with Type A predominance; 43 of 51 (84.3%) with Type B cell predominance; none of seven (0%) with Type C predominance; and 13 of 30 (43.3%) with mixed Type A and B cells. Logistic regression analysis of the data showed that the association of fever with Type B cell predominance was highly significant, and was not attributable to the known association of fever with other variables. Morphologic evidence suggests that fever in Hodgkin's disease may be a clinical manifestation of damaged macrophage-histiocytes rather than an acute-phase response of inflammatory or immune reaction.