Origin of Nodular Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkin's Disease from a Clonal Expansion of Highly Mutated Germinal-Center B Cells

Abstract

The L&H cells of nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin's disease represent a monoclonal expansion of B cells. The high load of V(H) gene mutations and signs of intraclonal diversity suggest a relation between L&H cells and germinal-center B cells at the centroblastic stage of differentiation.