OBJECTIVETo investigate the apoptosis-related genes and protein expression patterns in relation to classical Hodgkin lymphomas (CHL) and the origin of H/RS cell.

METHODSSixty-two cases of CHL were retrieved from Shanxi Tumor Hospital files. An ABC method was used to detect the expression of bcl-2, CD3, CD20, CD30, CD15 and CD10, a double immunohistochemical method to study the H/RS cells P53 expression, a double immunohistochemical ABC-DNA end labeling technique to detect the apoptosis, a double immunohistochemical ABC- in situ hybridization technique to detect the expression of kappa mRNA and lambda mRNA, and a multiple mark techniques to detect the distribution of background non-neoplastic T and B cells.

RESULTOf 62 CHL, 14 (22.58%) were p53 positive and 35 (56.45%) bcl-2 positive. Apoptosis was found in the background non-neoplastic cells in all of the cases, but in H/RS cells in only 10 of 62 cases. There was a significant reverse correlation between bcl-2 expression and apoptosis in H/RS cells (P = 0.02). CD30 positive H/RS cells were observed in all cases, whereas CD15 positive in only 41 cases, and CD20 positive in 8 cases. None was positive for CD3, MPO, bcl-6, CD10, kappa RNA and lambda RNA in H/RS cells. The H/RS cells were surrounded by non-neoplastic T cells looked like a rosette and the outer periphery was B cells.

CONCLUSIONSThe H/RS cell of classical Hodgkin lymphoma has a great variety of B lineage markers. The characteristic distributions of T, B and H/RS cells may serve as a reference for the diagnosis. Multiple marker technique is able to highlight the critical cells, and facilitate the study of H/RS cells. Abnormal expression of P53 may not play a major role in CHL. Over expression of bcl-2 may be linked to blockage of apoptosis in CHL.