title: Lymphoblastic lymphoma with primary splenic involvement and the classic 14;18 translocation.
abstract: Clinicopathologic features of a case of lymphoblastic lymphoma (LyL) with the classic 14;18 translocation are described in this article. The patient had prominent splenomegaly with numerous splenic nodules, exhibiting a homogeneous blast cell infiltrate and occasional cells with cleft nuclei, a picture suggestive of high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) possibly lymphoblastic. Early B-cell features were detected immunologically, thus confirming the diagnosis of LyL. The presence of primary splenic involvement and of the t(14;18)(q32;q21) are unusual in this histologic subset of B-cell NHL, these cytogenetic and clinicopathologic characteristics being typically associated with low- or intermediate-grade NHL of follicle center origin. These features, along with the presence of some centrocytelike cells in the biopsy sections, suggest that an unusual pattern of histologic evolution from a follicle center cell NHL may have occurred in this case of LyL.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Hematology, University of Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Carli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuneo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Piva
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balboni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fagioli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cavazzini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castoldi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D002883:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000473:pathology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte