title: Discrete epithelioid cells: useful clue to Hodgkin's disease cytodiagnosis.
abstract: Diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease is made with more confidence than diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on cytology. This study was undertaken to describe the presence of granulomas and a new cytologic feature, discrete epithelioid cells (DECs), in smears from Hodgkin's disease. Fine-needle aspiration smears from 39 cases of biopsy-proven Hodgkin's disease, collected over a period of 43 months, were reviewed. Epithelioid granulomas were seen in 38.5% of the smears. DECs, which were noted in 70% of the cases, may be useful in raising the suspicion of Hodgkin's disease when other features are not evident; their presence should encourage the cytopathologist to obtain aspirations from other lymph nodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry 605006, India.
authors.forename: Krishnan R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Iyengar
authors.forename: Sucheeta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mutha
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015622:Epithelioid Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D006099:Granuloma / Q000473:pathology; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000473:pathology; D016539:Reed-Sternberg Cells / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies