A case of T cell prolymphocytic leukemia involving blast transformation

We report a case of T cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) involving blast transformation. At the initial diagnosis, most peripheral blood cells demonstrated proliferation of indolent T cell small cell variants, i.e., small to medium prolymphocytes with inconspicuous nucleoli and a normal karyotype. These cells were positive for surface CD4, CD5, and CD7, and cytoplasmic CD3, but negative for surface CD3 and CD8 and cytoplasmic terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). The T cell receptor (TCR) Cβ1 gene was rearranged in the cells. Large prolymphocytes with prominent nucleoli, irregular nuclei, and cytoplasmic vacuoles that exhibited chromosome 8 trisomy were observed about 1.5 years later. The CD4+CD8− single positive effector memory T cells transformed into surface CD4+CD8+ double positive precursor T cells. The clonal TCR gene rearrangement patterns of these cells were identical throughout the clinical course, suggesting clonal blast transformation. The CD4+CD8+ cells demonstrated increased chromosome 8 trisomy combined with complex chromosome abnormalities with t(14;14)(q11.2;q32) containing a 14q32 chromosome after transformation. T cell leukemia 1a (TCL1a) (14q32.1) may be implicated in this case. The TCL1a oncoprotein is expressed in approximately 70% of T-PLL cases. The disease gradually developed resistance to chemotherapy, and the patient died of the disease. It is known that indolent T-PLL can become aggressive. Therefore, similar transformations may occur in other aggressive T-PLL cases, particularly those involving trisomy 8 and TCL1a.     

Hepatic Kaposi sarcoma: A case report and review of the literature

Kaposi sarcoma(KS) is an aggressive cancer caused by human herpesvirus-8, primarily seen in immunocompromised patients. As opposed to the well-described cutaneous manifestations and pulmonary complications of KS, hepatic KS is rarely reported before death as most patients with hepatic KS do not manifest symptoms or evidence of liver injury. In patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, hepatic involvement of KS is present in 12%-24% of the population on incidental imaging and in approximately 35% of patients with cutaneous KS if an autopsy was completed after their death. Patients with clinically significant hepatic injury due to hepatic KS usually have an aggressive course of disease with hepatic failure often progressing to multi-organ failure and death. Here we report an unusual presentation of acute liver injury due to hepatic KS and briefly review the published literature on hepatic KS.     

Cytogenetic studies on prolymphocytic leukemia. II. T cell prolymphocytic leukemia

We report chromosome abnormalities in 15 cases of T cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL). All cases were characterized by clinical, morphological, and membrane marker analysis. The most frequent abnormality was an inv(14)(q11q32) observed in nine cases. The T cell receptor (TCR) alpha chain gene is localized to 14q11 and the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene to region 14q32. Four cases also had translocations involving 14q11. Trisomy or multisomy for 8q resulting from an i(8q) or from rearrangements with 8p12 as the breakpoint was observed in nine cases, and a deletion of 6q was found in four cases. Trisomy or partial trisomy for 7q was observed in four cases, of which two had abnormalities of band 7q35 to which the TCR beta chain gene is mapped. The expression of Tac antigen, investigated in 27 cases of human T cell leukemia virus I-negative chronic T cell leukemia, which included the 15 cases of T-PLL, showed a good correlation with abnormalities of 7q35. Our studies on chronic T leukemias suggest that inv(14)(q11q32) and trisomy for 8q are abnormalities characteristic of T-PLL.     

Dermatomyositis complicated with Kaposi sarcoma: a case report

We describe the case of a 75-year-old Italian woman affected by dermatomyositis (DM) treated with steroid, high-dose intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIgs) and cyclophosphamide (CPX), taken orally. After a few months, the patient presented multiple red vascular skin lesions diagnosed as Kaposi sarcoma (KS). Steroid was furtherly reduced, and CPX was stopped. We put the patient on chemotherapy with intravenous infusion of vinblastine and vincristine on alternate weeks obtaining the remission of KS. DM is well controlled by a low-dosage steroid and high-dose IVIgs.     

T cell prolymphocytic leukemia with new chromosome rearrangements

A 77-year-old woman presented to the outpatient hematology clinic in August 2001 with leukocytosis, recurrent bacterial infections, sweating and weight loss. Bone marrow biopsy showed 80% infiltration with lymphoid cells having a prolymphocytic morphology. Flow-cytometric immunophenotype analysis showed that over 80% of the cells were positive for CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5 and CD7 antigens and negative for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase and CD1a antigens. T cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) was diagnosed on the basis of these findings. The diagnosis was later confirmed by cytogenetic analysis and fluorescence in situ hibridization. The patient had the following karyotype: 46,X,der(X)t(X;3) (q28;p25) t(X;16)(p14;q12), der(3) t(X;3)(q28;p25), der(6) t (X;6) (p14;q25), (8) (q10), del(11) (q14q23), der(13) t (5;13) (q34;p11), der(13) t(13;14)(q22;q11), inv(14)(q11q32), der (16) t(X;16)(q28;q12), r(17)(p13q21), der(20) t(17;20) (q21; q13),22p+. The cytogenetic rearrangements der(6)t(X;6) (p14;q25), der(13)t(13;14)(q22;q11),t(5;13)(q34;p11), r(17) (p13q21) and t(17;20)(q21;q13) have not been described previously in the literature in patients with T-PLL.     

A case of T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia]

A 54-year-old man who had been known to have a high prolymphocyte count for four years was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea in September, 1990. Physical examination revealed skin eruption, lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. Chest X-ray demonstrated bilateral pleural effusions. The leukocyte count was 232,900/microliter with 99% lymphoid cells possessing single nucleoli. The cells expressed the phenotype CD2+, CD3-, CD4+, CD7+, and CD8-. Southern blot analysis of DNA from these cells revealed monoclonal rearrangement of T-cell receptor beta-chain genes. Anti-human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) antibody and HTLV-1 proviral DNA were not detected. A biopsy specimen from the skin lesions showed infiltration of the leukemic cells which were positive for anti-MT1 antibody. Histological finding of the axillary lymph node was malignant lymphoma, diffuse, medium-sized, T-cell type. Combination chemotherapy resulted in the improvement of skin eruption, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly and pleural effusions, although his prolymphocyte count increased to 910,000/microliters. He died of cerebral bleeding in July, 1991. We diagnosed this case as T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, observed for five years.     

T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia: a report of two cases with review of literature

T-cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia (T-PLL) is a mature post-thymic T-cell malignancy with aggressive clinical course. The principal disease characteristics are organomegaly, skin lesions and raised lymphocyte counts. We report two cases of T-PLL. T-PLL is a rare T-cell malignancy with characteristic clinical and laboratory features and a poor prognosis. It needs to be differentiated from B-Cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL) and other mature T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders with predominant leukemic pattern. Differentiation can be made by a comprehensive approach taking into account the clinical features, the cell morphology and the immunophenotype of leukemic cells.     

Left atrial spindle cell sarcoma: A case report and literature review

Rationale:Cardiac primary spindle cell sarcoma is 1 of the rarest cardiac malignancies, with only a few cases reported so far. Herein, we reported a case of left atrial spindle cell sarcoma diagnosed and treated by a multidisciplinary approach, and retrospectively reviewed other reported cases.Patient concerns:A 49-year-old woman presented to our hospital with 2 weeks of gradual onset of dyspnea on exertion, dry cough and subacute fever.Diagnosis:The patient was initially revealed a left atrium mass by 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. Based on the contrast-enhanced echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, she was subsequently suggested to have a cardiac malignant tumor. And the post-operative histopathology confirmed the tumor to be a cardiac primary spindle cell sarcoma.Interventions:The tumor was completely resected using autotransplantation. The patient was referred for polychemotherapy afterwards.Outcomes:Our patient underwent the tumor resection, with subsequent adjuvant polychemotherapy, and the tumor has not recurred during 12 months of follow-up.Lessons:Due to the rarity of these tumors and nonspecific symptoms, they are often difficult to diagnose preoperatively and missed occasionally. Thus, improving our understanding of the disease and facilitating its early diagnosis are essential.     

Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma presenting simultaneously with acute myelomonocytic leukemia: report of a rare case and literature review

Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS) is an extremely rare tumor derived from interdigitating dendritic cells. We report the first case of a 64-year-old Chinese woman who was diagnosed with simultaneous IDCS and acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AML-M4). The patient had undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer 6 years previously. Based on the laboratory results, both the IDCS and the AML-M4 in this patient were determined to be of myelogenous origination. Furthermore, a review of 62 IDCS cases (Medline database, key word: IDCS) reported to date revealed that as many as 17 % of the patients had malignant disease and received radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy prior to developing IDCS, and that this group of patients showed worse prognosis compared with counterparts. The patient in the present report showed poor response to four cycles of sequential chemotherapy, and died 6 months after the initial diagnosis.     

Cutaneous langerhans cell sarcoma: a case report and review of the literature

Langerhans cell sarcoma (LCS) is a neoplastic proliferation of Langerhans cells that occurs in lymph nodes, liver, skin, spleen, lung, and bone. We report a case of LCS in a 47-year-old man with a 6-month history of scalp mass and cervical lymphadenopathy. Clinical and pathologic data were available. A histologic examination demonstrated a proliferation of cells with malignant cytologic features. Because of its poorly differentiated morphologic features, hematologic and nonhematologic entities were ruled out by immunohistochemical screening with a broad panel of antibodies. Ultrastructural studies demonstrating Birbeck granules and consistent expression of CD1a, S-100 protein, and langerin by immunohistochemistry were helpful in identifying the Langerhans cell origin.     

CD3-negative,CD20-positive T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia: case report and review of the literature

We report a case of CD3-negative, CD20-positive T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL). The leukemic cells were of medium-to-large size, mature-looking, and did not have cytoplasmic granules. The leukemic cells were negative for surface CD3, CD2, and CD7 and strongly positive for CD20. T-cell lineage markers such as CD4, CD5, and cytoplasmic CD3 were also positive. A monoclonal rearrangement of the T-cell receptor (TCR) beta chain gene was detected. CD3-negative T-PLL has been reported often, but CD20-positive T-PLL has not. We reviewed seven cases of CD20-positive immature and mature T-cell leukemias, including the present case. Three were immature T-cell leukemias (acute lymphoblastic leukemia), and four were mature T-cell leukemias (granular lymphocytic leukemia, small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia, adult T-cell leukemia, and the present case). Splenomegaly was a common feature. However, our case alone had "bright" CD20 expression on the leukemic cells. This is the first report of CD20(+) T-PLL.     

B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia/prolymphocytic leukemia (CLL/PL)--a case report

A 48-year-old male was admitted to our hospital on April 20, 1989 because of general fatigue and abdominal fullness. Physical examination showed hepatomegaly, massive splenomegaly, and systemic lymphadenopathy. Hematological findings revealed WBC 73,000/microliters, RBC 289 x 10(4)/microliters, Hb 8.0g/dl, and platelet 9.1 x 10(4)/microliters. WBC differential count demonstrated a mixture of 63% matured small lymphocytes and 32% prolymphocytoid cells. Bone marrow aspiration was unsuccessful with a dry tap. Surface marker analysis of peripheral blood lymphoid cells disclosed that they were positive for anti-HLA-DR, CD 5, CD 19, CD 20, CD 21, CD 25, Sm-IgM, Sm-IgD, and Sm-K. He was diagnosed as B-CLL/PL, and treated with VEPA with partial remission. CLL/PL which was advocated by Melo in 1986 is regarded as a distinct clinical entity intermediate between CLL and PLL in clinical and laboratory features. Our case is interesting with regard to good response to combination chemotherapy, though most cases of CLL/PL have a resistance to standard chemotherapy.     

CD20-positive T cell leukemia/lymphoma: case report and review of the literature

We report on a case of CD20-positive peripheral T cell lymphoma. The lymphoma cell was positive for CD20 and T cell lineage markers such as cytoplasmic CD3, CD4, and CD5 and had a monoclonal rearrangement of the T cell receptor (TCR) gamma chain gene. The clinical characteristics resembled angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy: spontaneous regression of lymphadenopathy and immunological abnormalities such as polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, positive results of direct and indirect antiglobulin tests, and a high antinuclear antibody titer. We reviewed seven cases of CD20-positive T cell malignancies including the present case. Three were immature T cell malignancies (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) and four were peripheral T cell malignancies (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia). Hepatomegaly and/or splenomegaly were common features. Further cases must be evaluated to understand the clinical significance of the CD20 expression on the surface of T cell malignancies.     

B and T cell prolymphocytic leukaemia

Prolymphocytic leukaemias B-PLL and T-PLL are rare disorders, typically with an aggressive clinical course and poor prognosis. Combining morphology, immunophenotyping, cytogenetic and molecular diagnostics reliably separates B-PLL and T-PLL from one another and other disorders. In T-PLL discovery of frequent mutations in the JAK-STAT pathway have increased understanding of disease pathogenesis. Alemtuzumab (anti-CD52) produces excellent response rates but long-term remissions are only achieved in a minority following consolidation with allogeneic stem cell transplant. Molecular abnormalities in B-PLL are less understood. Disruption of TP53 is a key finding, conveying chemotherapy resistance requiring novel therapies such as B-cell receptor inhibitors (BCRi). Both conditions require improved pathobiological knowledge to identify new treatment targets and guide therapy with novel pathway inhibitors.     

Atypical prolymphocytic variant of hairy-cell leukemia: Case report and review of the literature

The prolymphocytic variant of hairy-cell leukemia (HCL-V) is relatively rare and differs from typical hairy-cell leukemia (HCL) both clinically and morphologically. Recognition of HCL-V is important due to therapeutic impact. We report on a case of HCL-V, atypical in its degree of marrow fibrosis, LgM/lambda monoclonality, expression of CD24, and the ultrastructural presence of ribosomal lamellar complexes. The patient was treated with splenectomy followed by pentostatin, and he achieved a partial response. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Retroperitoneal dendritic cell sarcoma: A case report

Ratioanle:Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS) is a rare sarcoma that originates from interdigitating dendritic cells in lymphoid tissue, the imaging characteristics of which are poorly defined. Pathological examination can identify the tumor, but reports on the imaging characteristics of IDCS are limited.Patient concerns:Here, we report a case of IDCS in a 48-year-old female involving the retroperitoneal area. The patient had a lumbar mass on her right lower back for 4 years, and which started increasing in size 1 year before.Diagnoses:An irregular soft tissue mass (10.1cm × 8.5 cm in size) in the right lower back of retroperitoneum was detected by CT examination with unclear borders, uneven density, and necrosis. The solid components of the mass were significantly enhanced on postcontrast imaging. The soft tissue was irregular and uneven. Cystic solid masses were observed on MRI examination in the right retroperitoneum, lateral abdominal wall, waist, and back. Necrosis, hemorrhage, and cystic transformation were observed inside the lesion. The cyst wall, separation, and wall nodules were significantly enhanced on the postcontrast image. No distant metastasis was observed. Postoperative pathology confirmed the diagnosis of IDCS.Interventions:The patient underwent surgical resection. The resected margin was positive, and the patient received adjuvant radiotherapy 2 months after the surgery.Outcomes:Twelve months after radiotherapy, the patient''s chest CT showed multiple metastases in both lungs. The patient was started on combination chemotherapy of doxorubicin and ifosfamide, and the follow-up is still ongoing.Lessons:Imaging provides a unique advantage to determine the extent of the IDCS, the invasion of adjacent tissues, and the presence or absence of distant metastases.     

Primary spindle cell sarcoma of gallbladder: An unusual case report and a literature review

Introduction:Primary spindle cell sarcoma of the gallbladder is a rare condition.Patient concerns:A 67-year-old woman was admitted to a local hospital with a chief complaint of abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant for the past 2 months.Diagnosis and intervention:Surgical resection was performed following the diagnosis of primary gallbladder sarcoma with local hepatic metastasis. Histological examination confirmed a diagnosis of primary spindle cell sarcoma and hepatic metastasis with simultaneous cholecystolithiasis.Outcomes:Adjuvant chemoradiation therapy was not performed because the patient refused treatment. Three months after the surgery, a relapsed lesion was diagnosed. The patient underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.Conclusions:The disease should be differentially diagnosed from gallbladder carcinoma or carcinosarcoma with hepatic metastasis. An aggressive surgical approach should be based on a balance between the risk of surgery and the outcome.