title: Morphologic and immunophenotypic analysis of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma: Emphasis on phenotypic aberrancies for early diagnosis.
abstract: The morphologic features and immunophenotype of diagnostic nodal and bone marrow biopsy specimens were reviewed in 29 well-established cases of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AILT). All cases showed a characteristic polymorphous lymphoid and inflammatory cell infiltrate along with stromal-vascular changes. Perivascular aggregation or clustering of neoplastic clear cells was seen in only 41% of cases. Unique architectural changes, including extranodal extension (83%), follicular dendritic cell proliferation (93%), and a distinctly marginalized distribution of residual B cells (67%) were observed. Subsets of T cells with immunophenotypic abnormalities (CD10 coexpression or loss of pan-T-cell antigens CD3 and CD7) were identified in a majority of cases (96%). Significantly, these morphologic and phenotypic features were seen irrespective of the presence of an overt lymphomatous pattern. Bone marrow involvement was present in 90% of patients with available biopsy specimens. Our results indicate that unique morphologic alterations and subsets of phenotypically aberrant T cells are present consistently in nearly all cases of AILT, including morphologically less definitive biopsy specimens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Shakil H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Merchant
authors.forename: Mitual B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Viswanatha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D020566:Dendritic Cells, Follicular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007119:Immunoblastic Lymphadenopathy / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D016130:Immunophenotyping / Q000379:methods*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm