# Reed-Sternberg cell

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/reed-sternberg-cell/  
OnCo record `reed-sternberg-cell` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

The Reed-Sternberg cell is the giant, often two-nucleus cancer cell of Hodgkin lymphoma; it makes up only about 1% of the tumour, and the rest is immune cells it has recruited.

## Summary

Crippled germinal-centre B cells that have lost their B-cell programme, express CD30 and CD15, carry 9p24.1 (PD-L1/PD-L2) amplification in most cases, and are often EBV-positive. Their dependence on PD-L1 explains why Hodgkin lymphoma is the most checkpoint-inhibitor-responsive cancer (ORR ~70% for nivolumab or pembrolizumab in relapse).

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-07
- Also known as: Reed-Sternberg cells

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed–Sternberg_cell
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed–Sternberg_cell

## Connected records

- cancers: [Advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (stage III to IV)](https://onco.cc/cancers/advanced-stage-classical-hodgkin-lymphoma/), [Early-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (stage I to II)](https://onco.cc/cancers/early-stage-classical-hodgkin-lymphoma/), [Hodgkin lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/hodgkin-lymphoma/), [Relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/relapsed-refractory-hodgkin-lymphoma/)
- targets: [CD30](https://onco.cc/targets/cd30/), [PD-L1](https://onco.cc/targets/pdl1/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/reed-sternberg-cell.json