Abstract
Using an antibody to the nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR), we examined dendritic reticulum cells (DRCs) immunohistochemically in 62 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lymph nodes from patients with reactive follicular hyperplasia or with various types of lymphoma. A dendritic staining pattern within germinal centers was present in 25 of 26 routinely processed lymph nodes with reactive follicular hyperplasia. In contrast, dendritic staining with anti-NGFR was present within neoplastic follicles in only three of 28 follicular lymphomas. Staining of benign, residual centers with anti-NGFR was present in mantle zone lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease. These findings suggest a possible role for the NGFR in the maturation and/or activation of normal DRCs. The loss of NGFR expression in most follicular lymphomas indicates that DRCs are altered as part of the neoplastic process. The possibility that DRCs may play a role in the pathogenesis of follicular lymphoma is suggested.
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