Mummified tumour cells in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) are a special type of programmed cellular death, which differs from apoptosis in several respects. The common feature with apoptosis is the death of individual tumour cells. The number of mummified cells is many times higher than the number of cells in apoptosis. The authors examined a group of 24 cases of EBV positive and 24 cases of EBV negative HL and assessed the so-called mummification index. The value of the mummification index was 10.4 in EBV positive and 8.2 in EBV negative HL. The difference of values was not marked and therefore it may be concluded that latent EBV infection does not influence the numbers of mummified cells. Using statistical methods (the log-rank test) the authors evaluated survival and differences between groups of EBV positive and EBV negative HL. In the course of 16.6 years no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups of HL. By means of the chi2 individual stages of the disease were compared and no significant differences between groups were recorded. Expression of Bcl-2 protein in tumour cells in HL was small and positivity was not found in mummifying cells. Bcl-2 protein was assessed in 24 EBV positive HL and 37 cases of EBV negative HL. In the first group the authors recorded positive findings in six cases, in the second group in five cases.

Itstav patologie Lékarské fakulty UP Olomouc