[Hodgkin's disease: biology can help the physician towards new prognostic factors and new therapeutic approaches].
Hodgkin's disease is a lymphoma pathology characterized, histology wise, by the presence of rare tumoral cells, known as Reed-Sternberg cells, in a polymorph, inflammatory and reactive cell environment. Recent studies in molecular biology have shown that the Reed-Sternberg cell is mainly derived from a post germinal B lymphoid cell. Reed-Sternberg cell is also known to express characteristic molecules of an antigen presenting cell. Paradoxically, Hodgkin's disease shows an intensive inflammatory reaction but activated immune cells are not efficient in this disease. The abnormal survival and proliferation rates of Reed-Sternberg cells are in relation with immune system escape, acquired mechanisms of apoptosis resistance and amplification of activation of NFkappaB in tumoral cells. If these observations allow a better understanding of the presentation and the evolution of this disease, they might lead to the determination of new prognostic factors and of specific therapeutic approaches.
Rubio
M T
MT
Interne des Hôpitaux de Lyon, Spécialité oncologie médicale, Ajora, Centre Léon-Bérard, 28, rue Laennec, 69373 Lyon Cedex 08. Mtrubio@aol.com
Ghesquières
H
H
Blay
J Y
JY
Salles
G
G
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D005838:Genotype; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000150:complications; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D016539:Reed-Sternberg Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D016207:Cytokines