Prolonged lymphocytosis as the first manifestation of Hodgkin-like adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma
Achiléa L Bittencourt, Agnes Carvalho Andrade, Cristiane Requião, Maria da Gloria Bomfim Arruda, Iguaracyra Araújo
Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases 2017, 21 (1): 119-122
27789281
Hodgkin-like ATLL is a rare variant of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), a disease caused by human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1). At admission, a 46-year-old female presented with lymphadenomegaly, lymphocytosis, slight elevation of LDH blood level, and acid-alcohol resistant bacilli in sputum and was being treated for pulmonary tuberculosis (Tb). She had lymphocytosis in the previous 20 months. Serology for HTLV-1 was positive. Lymph node was infiltrated by medium-sized lymphocytes with scattered Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg-like cells CD30+, CS1-4+, and CD79a+. Background cells were CD4+ and CD25+. A clinical diagnosis of favorable chronic ATLL was given. She was treated with chemotherapy but later progressed to acute ATLL and ultimately died. Hodgkin-like ATLL should be considered in the histological differential diagnosis with Hodgkin lymphoma since treatment and prognosis of these diseases are distinct. It is also important to search for HTLV-1 infection in patients with unexplained prolonged lymphocytosis.
Full Text Links
Find Full Text Links for this Article
You are not logged in. Sign Up or Log In to join the discussion.