Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis. Prospective clinical and therapeutic experience over 10 years

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis apparently confined to one temporal lobe. Case report

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is of uncertain etiology and poses problems with diagnosis and treatment. A case with involvement of the right temporal lobe, but associated with cystoid macular edema of the retina, is described. The unusual mode of presentation, the radiographic, operative, and pathological findings, the response to surgery and radiotherapy, and the possible etiology are discussed.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis mimicking bronchial carcinoma

This report concerns a patient with lymphomatoid granulomatosis who presented with multiple ulcerated skin nodules, a solitary pulmonary mass and a cerebral mass. Biopsies taken from the skin and lung lesion showed necrotic tissue only. This combination of physical signs and the initial non-specific histological changes suggested a diagnosis of primary bronchial carcinoma with secondary spread. However, the subsequent temporary improvement and a further histological examination enabled a diagnosis of lymphomatoid granulomatosis to be made and this was confirmed at post-mortem. This report emphasizes the difficulty in obtaining diagnostic material in lymphomatoid granulomatosis and highlights the need to consider this diagnosis in a patient with suspected carcinoma when biopsy material shows necrotic tissue only.

Selective effects of cyclophosphamide therapy on activation, proliferation, and differentiation of human B cells

The immune function of B lymphocytes from 12 patients with nonneoplastic immune-mediated diseases receiving chronic low-dose (2 mg/kg per d) cyclophosphamide (CY) was evaluated. There was a selective and differential suppressive effect of CY therapy on the various stages of the B cell cycle including activation, proliferation, and differentiation. The proliferative responses to Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I (SAC) and mitogenic concentrations of anti-mu were suppressed. In contrast, B cells that have been presumably activated in vivo proliferated with a normal pattern when exposed to B cell growth factor in vitro. Chronic low-dose CY therapy also suppressed B cell differentiation. Secretion of immunoglobulin by B cells following in vitro triggering with SAC and a T cell supernatant was suppressed in CY-treated patients. Moreover, differentiation of the large in vivo-activated B cells (which do not require an in vitro activation signal) in the presence of appropriate T lymphocyte supernatant was also suppressed. This selective suppression of B cell function at multiple points in the B cell cycle may be responsible for the efficacy of CY therapy in certain antibody and immune complex-mediated diseases.

Cutaneous necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis with evolution to T cell lymphoma

The evolution of unusual cutaneous vasculitis to a systemic T cell lymphoma was observed over a 12-year period. Precise classification of the skin biopsy specimens during the course of this patient's illness was difficult. Different observers suggested malignant hemangioendothelioma, malignant lymphoma, regressing atypical histiocytosis, and granulomatous vasculitis. In retrospect, the biopsy specimens likely represented the spectrum of cutaneous lymphomatoid granulomatosis. This condition is yet another example of a reactive lymphoid proliferation proceeding to a malignant lymphoma.

Pulmonary angiitis with atypical lymphoreticular infiltrates in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome: possible relationship of lymphomatoid granulomatosis and EBV infection

We describe a 12-year-old boy with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome who developed a pulmonary vasculitis associated with lymphoreticular proliferation, consistent with the histological and clinical diagnosis of lymphomatoid granulomatosis. The lesions were responsive to cyclophosphamide and steroids. The patient has had severely depressed immune function and was shown to have abnormal Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific cellular and humoral immune responses. Lymph nodes obtained at autopsy were positive for EBV genome. In this patient, reactivated EBV infection resulting from impaired immune surveillance of the virus may have been responsible for the development of this paraneoplastic disorder.

Vasculitis

Inflammatory changes in blood vessels are a prominent feature of several diseases, which can be categorized by the size of the vessels, the nature of the inflammatory exudate, and the specific organs involved. The clinical and laboratory findings are variable and frequently nonspecific. Therapy ranges from essentially just observation to high-dose steroids combined with immunosuppressive agents, but treatment must be individualized. Early and correct diagnosis is thus important, but because there is considerable overlap between diseases, especially in the leukocytoclastic vasculitis group, one should never delay initiation of therapy while one is trying to finalize the diagnosis, particularly when the patient may be deteriorating rapidly.

Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies on disseminated skin lesions of midline malignant reticulosis

Midline malignant reticulosis (MMR), a disease included in the lethal midline granuloma, is histologically characterized by a mixture of lymphoid cells and atypical reticulum cells. Recent investigations of the nature of proliferating cells in MMR have suggested different conclusions, i.e., that the lesion is a true histiocytic, B- or T-cell. Two cases of MMR are presented, on which extensive laboratory studies were carried out. The results showed that the atypical reticulum cells were negative when stained immunohistochemically with monoclonal antibodies for T- or B-cells, diffusely stained by reactions for acid phosphatase and alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase, positively stained with human lysozyme and alpha-1-antitrypsin, and possess abundant cytoplasm containing primary lysosomes, polylysosomes and residual bodies. These findings indicate the true histiocytic nature of the proliferating cells in MMR.

Bone marrow transplantation in lymphomatoid granulomatosis. Report of a case

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is an unusual disorder histologically characterized by an angiocentric, angiodestructive mixed cellular infiltrate. The most frequent clinical manifestations are seen in the lungs, the skin, and the central nervous system. Progression to lymphoma may occur, particularly in patients who are anergic. The authors report the case of a boy who had had a splenectomy at 2 years of age for presumed Evan's syndrome, and two episodes of pneumococcal meningitis at 5 and 10 years of age. At 14 years, he had severe respiratory compromise, and a lung biopsy specimen showed lymphomatoid granulomatosis. The liver and bone marrow also were affected. Improvement occurred with multiagent chemotherapy, but he had multiple relapses. A bone marrow transplant was performed using a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) identical mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) nonreactive brother as the donor. He remains in remission more than 3 years post-transplant. In addition, his abnormal immune function has improved.

Isolated angiitis of the central nervous system

Two adults with isolated angiitis of the central nervous system (CNS) are described and the diagnostic criteria of the disease are evaluated. The diagnosis was based on carotid angiogram showing segmental narrowing (a "beaded" appearance) with or without microaneurysms or arterial obstruction, and on clinical observations excluding other underlying diseases. The clinical picture consisted of progressing or fluctuating symptoms and signs of CNS origin. Although the primary etiology of this rare condition remains unknown, treatment with corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide is rewarding. Thus, isolated angiitis of the CNS is treatable, contrary to some earlier assumptions. Therefore, the early diagnosis of isolated angiitis of the CNS is emphasized.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis: a clinicopathologic study of 42 patients

We studied the histological and clinicopathological findings in 42 patients who had lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG). In addition to small round lymphocytes, small to intermediate lymphocytes with serpentine nuclei, large immature mononuclear lymphoid cells, abundant histiocytes, and vascular invasion by the cell infiltrate were observed in all cases. Fifty percent of lesions had occasional "atypical" cells with multi-lobed nuclei. Three of four follow-up autopsies showed large cell lymphoma, while one other autopsy and the single repeat biopsy showed increased numbers of large immature mononuclear lymphoid cells. Patients were most frequently men 40-60 yr old who had a history of pulmonary symptoms, such as cough or chest pain, and who showed multiple bilateral lung nodules without hilar adenopathy in the chest x-ray. Thirteen patients (38%) died of disease, 11 of them within 12 mth of initial diagnosis. The presence of neurological signs and symptoms, increased mitoses, or increased numbers of atypical multi-nucleated cells in the initial biopsy were not statistically significant predictors of survival.

Cutaneous granulomatous vasculitis: its relationship to systemic disease

Microscopic and medical review of twenty-six patients with skin biopsy specimens that showed granulomatous vasculitis demonstrated vascular histiocytic granulomas with fibrinoid destruction of blood vessels in the dermis and panniculus. Cultures of the biopsy specimens were nonspecific. The skin lesions varied from erythema to papulonodular and vesicular eruptions; they were usually on the extremities but also involved the trunk. Eight patients had systemic lymphoproliferative diseases: three, lymphoma; two, angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy; two, preleukemia; and one, chronic granulocytic leukemia. Five of these eight patients died within 2 years after the onset of skin lesions. The four patients with systemic vasculitis died within 1 year after the onset of skin lesions. Five patients with arthritis, four with gastrointestinal disease, three with systemic sarcoidosis or sarcoidlike disease, and one with tuberculosis had a more favorable prognosis. The histologic pattern of cutaneous nonlymphomatoid granulomatous vasculitis is associated with significant systemic disease, especially lymphoproliferative disorders. Patients with lymphoproliferative disorders or systemic vasculitis have a much poorer prognosis than those with inflammatory or infectious granulomatous disease.

Hepatic vein occlusion (Budd-Chiari syndrome): problems in diagnosis and management

Seven patients demonstrating the difficulties in diagnosis and management of hepatic vein occlusion are presented. The syndrome may present in an acute form with upper abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, ascites and tender hepatomegaly or in a chronic form, mimicking cirrhotic ascites. The clinical features, predisposing factors, liver scan and liver biopsy may all suggest the condition, but hepatic venography is essential for diagnosis and as a preliminary to treatment. It is suggested that early side to side portacaval anastomosis is the current treatment of choice.

Pathology of peripheral T-cell lymphomas and leukemias

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas and leukemias have distinct histological and cytological characteristics although there are a variety of histological patterns even in a single lymph node. Histologic features are altered by the progression of the disease. There is no significant association between histology and prognosis. The variations in histologic features and clinical manifestations of peripheral T-cell lymphomas/leukemias can now be related to the presence of the retrovirus ATLV, and anti-ATLV antibodies as well as to the immunophenotypes of the lymphoma cells utilizing monoclonal antibodies. Changing concepts of peripheral T-cell lymphomas/leukemias are discussed.

Ocular involvement in the respiratory vasculitides

The respiratory vasculitides are idiopathic inflammatory syndromes, characteristically involving the pulmonary vasculature as well as that of several other organ systems. The inflammatory response in these diseases is uniformly granulomatous. There are three distinct, recognized respiratory vasculitides: Wegener's granulomatosis, Churg-Strauss syndrome (allergic granulomatosis and angiitis), and lymphomatoid granulomatosis. Each of these entities may have ophthalmic manifestations, and ocular involvement may, in fact, be the presenting sign. The systemic and ocular manifestations, as well as the differential diagnosis and management of each of these entities are discussed.

Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan). A review on relevant pharmacology and clinical uses

Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan; Cy) is an alkylating agent with cytotoxic and immunosuppressive activities. The parent compound is inactive in vitro and exerts its biologic activity through metabolites, mainly phosphoramide mustard generated by hepatic microsomal enzymes. The exact mode of cytotoxic and immunosuppressive action of Cy at cellular level is not completely understood. Myelosuppression, hemorrhagic cystitis, alopecia, and gonadal damage are the main toxic effects. Available data suggest that Cy has carcinogenic potential in humans. Cy is widely used for cancer chemotherapy. As an immunosuppressive agent, it is successfully used in certain nonmalignant diseases in which autoimmune phenomena are established or suspected in the pathogenesis of the disease. It is the drug of choice in Wegener's granulomatosis. Extensive efforts are being made to synthesize Cy analogues with greater selective cytotoxic and immunosuppressive activity. Ifosfamide, a Cy analogue, appears to possess similar cytotoxic activity with less myelosuppression. Further research will help in synthesizing a Cy analogue with specific pharmacologic activity and reduced or absent harmful effects.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis presenting as central neurogenic hyperventilation

A patient with lymphomatoid granulomatosis and focal transformation to lymphoma limited to the central nervous system presented with severe central neurogenic hyperventilation. The hyperventilation resolved as the underlying pathologic condition was treated with prednisone and cyclophosphamide.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis with cerebral involvement

We report the case of a 26-year-old man who suffered from lymphomatoid granulomatosis. The light microscopical features of a biopsy from involved cerebral tissue are described and for the first time the cytological findings on a brain smear are illustrated. The results of immunological and electronmicroscopical investigations are consistent with the suggestion that this disease may be a disorder of T lymphocytes. It is suggested that the smear technique may be used to confirm the presence of cerebral disease in patients with an established diagnosis, and to investigate suspected patients who present with extrapulmonary manifestations.

Cutaneous lymphomatoid granulomatosis: a rare cause of recurrent skin ulceration

We report the case of a 34-year-old male who presented with recurrent skin ulceration due to lymphomatoid granulomatosis. Monoclonal antibody studies showed a high T helper (T4):T suppressor (T8) cell ratio in both the lesions and the peripheral blood. Plasma cells in the infiltrate showed IgA lambda staining but as yet no monoclonal immunoglobulin has been identified in the blood or urine. Lymphocytes bearing markers of immature cells (T10) were observed in the tissue and blood.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis with isolated involvement of the brain

A patient with biopsy-proven lymphomatoid granulomatosis of the brain as the sole manifestation of the disease is described. During 14 months of follow-up since surgical excision of the cerebral mass, no evidence of recurrent brain involvement or of extracranial lesions has been found. This case is unusual in the confinement of the disease to the central nervous system and in the favorable outcome following surgical treatment alone.

Malignant lymphoma and erythrophagocytosis simulating malignant histiocytosis

Six patients with malignant lymphoma are described, in whom a syndrome that mimicked malignant histiocytosis clinically and pathologically developed as a terminal event. The clinical course was characterized by hepatosplenomegaly, fever, and a rapid fall in all hematologic counts. Survival from onset of this syndrome was less than six weeks. Pathologically, activation of benign histiocytes with marked erythrophagocytosis was seen throughout the reticuloendothelial system. Disseminated lymphoma was also evident but was grossly and microscopically segregated from the erythrophagocytic process. Immunologic and cytochemical studies in two cases indicated the lymphomas to be of peripheral T cell origin, whereas the phagocytic cells had markers characteristic of histiocytes. A likely mechanism for this syndrome is the production of lymphokines (macrophage-activating factors) by neoplastic T lymphocytes.

What's new in dermatopathology?

This review emphasizes the important work in dermatopathology reported in the past 3 years. In reviewing the recent contributions in the field, four areas appear to have received particular attention: (1) new information concerning the histogenesis of cutaneous tumors based on the dual functional capacities of cells; (2) the Langerhans cell and its role in inflammatory and neoplastic processes; (3) prognostic factors in stage I malignant melanoma; and (4) the use of new immunofluorescent and immunohistochemical technics as diagnostic tools in cutaneous pathology.

Pulmonary angiitis and granulomatosis revisited

Re-examination of the pathologic and clinical features of the entities traditionally classified under the heading "pulmonary angiitis and granulomatosis" indicates that there is little advantage in retaining this artificial category and that these entities should be considered variants of diseases to which they are actually related. Wegener's granulomatosis and allergic angiitis and granulomatosis appear to be examples of true systemic vasculitides in which the lung is a predominant but not the only or even the most important site of involvement. Wegener's granulomatosis may manifest with involvement limited to lung, a form that has been called limited Wegener's; however, many or most such cases progress to classic disease involving kidney and often upper respiratory tract. Similarly, Wegener's granulomatosis may present with disease limited initially to the upper respiratory tract (a form of midline granuloma); this process may also spread to involve lung and kidney. It seems unlikely that limited Wegener's is truly a separate disease category. Evaluation of the pathologic and clinical features of necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis indicate that it very much resembles ordinary sarcoid in most histologic features, in the nature of extrapulmonary involvement, and in its clinical course and that it probably corresponds to the clinical--radiographic entity of nodular sarcoid. Lymphomatoid granulomatosis appears to have little relationship to the other members of the angiitis and granulomatosis group; its behavior and histologic features are those of a lymphoproliferative disorder that in most cases is or becomes histiocytic lymphoma. Some cases of so-called benign lymphocytic angiitis also fall into this category; the remainder appear to represent a variety of completely unrelated pathologic processes. Last, bronchocentric granulomatosis is most commonly one of the histologic manifestations of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, although it is likely that other agents or processes produce the same histologic pattern. Although the presence of a common set of pathologic features makes the concept of angiitis and granulomatosis attractive from a morphologic point of view, there is minimal clinical similarity among them, and these diseases appear to be totally separate entities.

Neurological complications of vasculitis

The vasculitides are a group of disorders that include the polyarteritis nodosa group of systemic necrotizing vasculitides, hypersensitivity vasculitis, Wegener's granulomatosis, lymphomatoid granulomatosis, giant cell arteritis, Behçet's disease, and isolated angiitis of the central nervous system. Classification is based on clinical, angiographic, and histological features. The frequency and distribution of neurological involvement vary with the underlying disorder and may provide the initial symptoms. Polyarteritis nodosa and Wegener's granulomatosis may affect both the central and peripheral nervous systems, whereas isolated angiitis of the central nervous system and Behçet's disease affect the central nervous system alone. Neurological dysfunction occurs in 80% of patients with polyarteritis nodosa and fewer than 10% of patients with hypersensitivity vasculitis. The mechanism of neurological dysfunction in the vasculitides is tissue ischemia. The clinical effects of ischemia vary, and symptoms may be transient or prolonged. Mononeuritis multiplex, polyneuropathy, and stroke are frequent complications, but encephalopathies, cranial neuropathies, and brachial plexopathies are seen as well. The occurrence of symptoms late in the course of a disease suggests ischemia resulting from healed, scarred vessels as well as from those that are acutely inflamed; this is the case in Takayasu's arteritis and possibly also in polyarteritis nodosa. Treatment is based on identifying and removing the sensitizing agent when possible. Wegener's granulomatosis requires therapy with cyclophosphamide; temporal arteritis, with corticosteroids. In other vasculitides a balance must be reached between the progression of the disease and the side effects of immunosuppression.

Dermatologic therapy: December, 1981, through November, 1982

In this paper I have reviewed the literature on dermatologic therapy from December, 1981, through November, 1982. This information was presented to a forum at the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in New Orleans in December, 1982. Readers should review the original article in toto before attempting any new, experimental, or controversial therapy summarized.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis in a 10 year old boy

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Ocular complications of Wegener's granulomatosis

140 patients with biopsy-proven Wegener's granulomatosis were examined during a 16-year period at the Mayo Clinic. Forty patients had diverse and explosive ophthalmic involvement, including conjunctivitis, episcleritis, scleritis, corneal ulceration, uveitis, retinal vasculitis, optic neuropathy, orbital mass, orbital cellulitis, and obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct. The multiple ophthalmic and systemic complications in these 40 patients and the importance of establishing the pathologic diagnosis are discussed. Treatment with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents has dramatically improved the prognosis, although substantial mortality (four patients died of Wegener's granulomatosis) and ocular morbidity (three eyes were enucleated) are still associated with this disease.

Radiotherapy of polymorphic reticulosis

The term "lethal mid-line granuloma" does not properly reflect current knowledge that several different diseases can produce non-infectious mid-facial destruction. The disorders producing erosion of the upper aerodigestive passages are more accurately classified by clinical and histological criteria as either Wegener's or non-Wegener's causes. The non-Wegener's causes of mid-facial erosion include extranodal lymphoma, idiopathic mid-line granuloma and polymorphic reticulosis. Polymorphic reticulosis (PR) is a rare disease which is histologically identical to lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LG). The term PR has been used to describe LG localized to the upper airways. PR-LG is characterized by a remarkably polymorphic angiocentric mixed cellular infiltrate. The disease is locally invasive, has the potential for distant spread, and can cause fever, sweats and weight loss. When it is localized to the upper airways, PR-LG is potentially controllable by radiation therapy. Local symptoms at other body sites can be successfully palliated by radiation. The clinical presentation of two recent patients with PR-LG is summarized, as well as the radiotherapy employed. The pertinent literature is reviewed.