Unspecific Mesenchymal Reaction in Bone Marrow in Patients with Hogdkin’s Disease

Summary

For 72 patients with Hodgkin’s disease with no evidence of bone marrow infiltration, the intensity of tumour-myelopathy is compared to the histological classification of lymphnodes (Rye classification), clinical findings and therapy. Tumour-myelopathy is defined as a lesion of the haematopoetic parenchyma and vascular mesenchyma which is thought to be a direct consequence of Hodgkin’s disease. These alterations were also seen in 24 other malignant lymphomas (lymphosarcomas, giant follicular lymphomas or germinoblastomas, and reticulosarcomas). In contrast, the bone marrow of patients with carcinomas and sarcomas did not demonstrate analogous lesions. Similarities and differences in the histological findings of tumour- myelopathy due to malignant lymphomas are discussed in relation to autoimmune diseases such as Lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.