Molecular biologic studies of Hodgkin's disease.

There has been intense interest in applying the techniques of molecular biology to further our understanding of Hodgkin's disease. Numerous studies of the status of lymphocyte antigen receptor genes have been performed, with conflicting results. There is more uniformity in the results of Epstein-Barr viral (EBV) studies; evidence of EBV can be identified in the Reed-Sternberg cells of approximately 40% to 50% of cases. There is no consensus on whether the t(14;18) is present in tissues involved by Hodgkin's disease.