title: Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease in Greece: presentation of 13 cases including two from Albania.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease (IPSID) represents a spectrum of clinicopathological entities including alpha-chain disease and other types of lymphoplasmacytic proliferations of the lamina propria of the small intestine, presenting with severe malabsorption. IPSID has been described mainly in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and African countries. It occurs rarely in western countries. We present here our experience from Greece describing some interesting findings in cases diagnosed during the years 1970-2002.
  
  
  METHODS
  Current immunological and immunohistochemical methods for the detection of alpha heavy chains and the presence of clonality have been used to study 13 cases of IPSID diagnosed in Greece, two of whom were Albanian residents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients were categorized in three subgroups of IPSID: alpha-chain disease (n=8), non-alpha chain disease with other monoclonal immunoglobulins (n=3), and polyclonal 'non-malignant' IPSID (n=2). In several patients the disease had unusual features, and this in some cases delayed the diagnosis. In suspected cases it is thus of the utmost importance to proceed to an exploratory laparatomy. Patients with stage C disease had a short survival, whereas two patients with stage A alpha-chain disease responded to treatment with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisolone, and cyclophosphamide, doxorubicine, vincristine and prednisolone, respectively, have a disease-free long survival of 35 and 12 years, and appear to be cured.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology-Histocompatibility, Evangelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Economidou
authors.forename: Orestis N
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Manousos
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Triantafillidis
authors.forename: Michalis M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Vaslamatzis
authors.forename: Rodessa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zafiropoulou
authors.forename: Theodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Papadakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000415:Albania; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007161:Immunoproliferative Small Intestinal Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014750:Vincristine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011239:Prednisolone