The presence of which cells indicates Hodgkin's lymphoma?

• A. Abnormal B cells
• B. Abnormal T cells
• C. Cytotoxic T cells
• D. Reed-Sternberg (R-S) cells

Answer: (D)

Reed-Sternberg cells are the hallmark finding in classical Hodgkin lymphoma. These are very large lymphoid cells, usually derived from B cells, that often show two nuclei or a bilobed nucleus with prominent nucleoli—giving an owl’s-eye appearance under the microscope. Their presence in a biopsy strongly points to Hodgkin lymphoma because RS cells are distinctive for this disease and aren’t typically seen in other lymphomas. While other abnormal B or T cells can appear in different lymphoid malignancies, the identification of Reed-Sternberg cells specifically supports Hodgkin lymphoma.