Which histologic feature is classically described as having 'owl eyes' in Hodgkin lymphoma?

Which histologic feature is classically described as having 'owl eyes' in Hodgkin lymphoma?

• A. Reed-Sternberg cells
• B. Auer rods
• C. Birbeck granules
• D. Psammoma bodies

Answer: (A)

Owl eyes describe Reed-Sternberg cells—the large binucleated (often bilobed) tumor cells of Hodgkin lymphoma with prominent nucleoli that give a pair of bright spots like an owl’s eyes. These cells are the hallmark of the disease and are typically CD15 and CD30 positive, arising from B lymphocytes. The surrounding inflammatory background is common in Hodgkin lymphoma, but it’s the Reed-Sternberg cells that provide the classic owl-eye appearance. Other options don’t fit this description: Auer rods are needle-like inclusions in myeloblasts seen in acute myeloid leukemia; Birbeck granules are rod- or tennis-r racket–shaped organelles characteristic of Langerhans cell histiocytosis; and psammoma bodies are concentric calcifications seen in certain papillary carcinomas and meningiomas.

Owl eyes describe Reed-Sternberg cells—the large binucleated (often bilobed) tumor cells of Hodgkin lymphoma with prominent nucleoli that give a pair of bright spots like an owl’s eyes. These cells are the hallmark of the disease and are typically CD15 and CD30 positive, arising from B lymphocytes. The surrounding inflammatory background is common in Hodgkin lymphoma, but it’s the Reed-Sternberg cells that provide the classic owl-eye appearance.

Other options don’t fit this description: Auer rods are needle-like inclusions in myeloblasts seen in acute myeloid leukemia; Birbeck granules are rod- or tennis-r racket–shaped organelles characteristic of Langerhans cell histiocytosis; and psammoma bodies are concentric calcifications seen in certain papillary carcinomas and meningiomas.