title: Aberrant phenotypes in Kikuchi's disease.
abstract: Initial reports emphasized the immunophenotypic similarities between benign and malignant T cell populations, while some previous studies indicating that aberrant T-cell antigen loss is a good marker for detecting malignant T-cell proliferation. Recently, we found a very interesting and thought-provoking phenomenon: In benign disease-28 of 38 (73.7%) cases of Kikuchi's disease also showed aberrant phenotypes with loss of pan-T cell antigens, which makes the differential diagnosis between Kikuchi's disease and T cell lymphoma more challenging. In our study, 38 cases of Kikuchi's disease and 30 cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH) were studied by EliVision immunohistochemical staining. As well as TCR gene rearrangement using PCR was negative in 10 tested cases of the Kikuchi's disease. Among these cases, the most common antigen deficiency was CD5 (22 cases), then CD7 (11 cases), CD2 (8 cases) and CD3 (2 cases). Compared with proliferative and xanthomatous types of Kikuchi's disease, antigens tended to be lost in necrotizing type. Based on follow-up data, a correlation was not found between the occurrence of aberrant phenotypes and prognosis. In RLH, obvious pan-T cell antigen loss was also not found. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate distinct patterns of antigen loss in Kikuchi's disease, suggesting that T cell antigen loss is not reliable as an auxiliary diagnostic standard for T cell lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Xue-Jing
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ge
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Lan
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Dan
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Yuan-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte; D019672:Genes, T-Cell Receptor; D005838:Genotype; D020042:Histiocytic Necrotizing Lymphadenitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D010641:Phenotype; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D019310:Pseudolymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Kikuchi’s disease; T cell lymphoma; differential diagnosis; histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis; pan-T cell antigens