This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Reed Sternberg cell

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

This is common to all forms of Hodgkin's disease.

Characteristics:

  • large cell - 15 to 45 micrometers in diameter
  • often binucleate, bilobed or multinucleate
  • abundant amphiphilic cytoplasm
  • "owl-eyed" nucleoli surrounded by a clear halo

Variants:

  • uninucleated cells with prominent nucleoli
  • lacunar cells - large, single hperlobated nucleus with multiple, small nucleoli and an abundance of pale staining cytoplasm

Reed Sternberg cells and variants are thought to be the neoplastic component in Hodgkin's disease. They are a necessary but insufficent feature for the diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease.

Similar or identical cells may be present in other conditions:

  • infectious mononucleosis
  • non-Hodgkin's lymphomas
  • solid tissue cancers

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.