Atypical lymphoplasmacytic and immunoblastic proliferation from rheumatoid arthritis: A case report

Atypical lymphoplasmacytic and immunoblastic proliferation: A Systematic Review

Atypical lymphoplasmacytic and immunoblastic proliferation (ALPIBP) was first reported in 1984 as characteristic histological findings in lymph nodes associated with autoimmune diseases, but it has not been clearly defined to date. To summarize the histological characteristics and clinical diagnoses associated with ALPIBP, we searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for all peer-reviewed articles using keywords including "atypical lymphoplasmacytic and immunoblastic lymphadenopathy" from their inception to December 27, 2023. We also summarized the courses of three cases with a pathological diagnosis of ALPIBP. Nine articles with 52 cases were included. Among the total of 55 cases, including the three from our institution, the median age of the cases was 63.5 years with a female predominance (69.5%). Lymphadenopathy was generalized in 65.6% and regional in 34.4% of cases. RA (24.4%), SLE (24.4%), and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (20.0%), were common clinical diagnoses. A combination of cytotoxic chemotherapy was used in 15.6% of cases due to the suspicion of malignancy. Nodal T-follicular helper cell lymphoma, angioimmunoblastic type, methotrexate-associated lymphoproliferative disorders, and IgG4-related diseases were listed as important diseases that need to be pathologically differentiated from ALPIBP. This review summarizes the current understanding of the characteristics of ALPIBP. Given that underrecognition of ALPIBP could lead to overdiagnosis of hematological malignancy and unnecessary treatment, increased awareness of the condition in pathologists and clinicians is crucial.

Clinical management for other iatrogenic immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorders

Other iatrogenic immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorders (OIIA-LPD), a category of immunodeficiency-associated LPD according to the World Health Organization classification, is associated with immunosuppressive drugs (ISDs). Several factors, including autoimmune disease (AID) activity, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, ISD usage, and aging, influence the development of OIIA-LPD, resulting in complicated clinical courses and outcomes. Most OIIA-LPD develops in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using methotrexate (MTX-LPD). The management of MTX-LPD is based on the clinical course, i.e., with/without regression, with/without relapse/regrowth event (RRE), LPD subtype, and ISDs for AIDs after LPD development. There are three clinical courses after ISD withdrawal: regressive LPD without relapse/regrowth (R-G), regressive LPD with RRE (R/R-G), and persistent LPD (P-G). The majority of EBV+ diffuse large B-cell lymphomas are classified in R-G, whereas classic Hodgkin lymphoma is generally classified in R/R-G. Polymorphic LPD (P-LPD) in MTX-LPD develops with heterogeneous pathological features similar to monomorphic LPD. Chemotherapy for MTX-LPD is selected according to that for de novo LPD, although the strategy for aggressive P-LPD and non-specific LPD is not well established. The absolute lymphocyte count in the peripheral blood has been suggested as a candidate marker for MTX-LPD development and RRE. Several clinical issues, including correct diagnosis among overlapping clinicopathological features in MTX-LPD and clinical management of LPD by ISDs other than MTX, require further investigation.

[Lymphadenopathy: demarcation to malignant lymphomas]

Recognition of the differential diagnosis between lymphadenitis and malignant lymphoma requires good knowledge of the basic forms of the disease as well in depth knowledge of the structure of the individual compartments. There are defined forms of lymphadenitis where the differential diagnosis to certain lymphoma entities is known. Other reactive structural alterations show indistinct limits so that a decision is only possible after using additional techniques, such as immunohistochemistry and molecular analyses. Finally, there are marginal areas which can only be clarified by including clinical data.

Systemic IgG4-related lymphadenopathy: a clinical and pathologic comparison to multicentric Castleman's disease

IgG4-related disease sometimes involves regional and/or systemic lymph nodes, and often clinically and/or histologically mimics multicentric Castleman's disease or malignant lymphoma. In this study, we examined clinical and pathologic findings of nine patients with systemic IgG4-related lymphadenopathy. None of these cases were associated with human herpes virus-8 or human immunodeficiency virus infection, and there was no T-cell receptor or immunoglobulin gene rearrangement. Histologically, systemic IgG4-related lymphadenopathy was classified into two types by the infiltration pattern of IgG4-positive cells: interfollicular plasmacytosis type and intra-germinal center plasmacytosis type. The interfollicular plasmacytosis type showed either Castleman's disease-like features or atypical lymphoplasmacytic and immunoblastic proliferation-like features. By contrast, the intra-germinal center plasmacytosis type showed marked follicular hyperplasia, and infiltration of IgG4-positive cells mainly into the germinal centers, and some cases exhibited features of progressively transformed germinal centers. Interestingly, eight of our nine (89%) cases showed eosinophil infiltration in the affected lymph nodes, and examined patients showed high elevation of serum IgE. Laboratory examinations revealed elevation of serum IgG4 and soluble interleukin-2 receptors. However, the levels of interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase were within normal limits or only slightly elevated in almost all patients. One patient showed a high interleukin-6 level whereas C-reactive protein was within the normal limit. Autoantibodies were examined in five patients and detected in four. Compared with the previously reported cases of multicentric Castleman's disease, our patients with systemic IgG4-related lymphadenopathy were significantly older and had significantly lower C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels. In conclusion, in our systemic IgG4-related lymphadenopathy showed pathologic features only partially overlapping those of multicentric Castleman's disease, and serum data (especially C-reactive protein and interleukin-6) are useful for differentiating the two. Our findings of eosinophil infiltration in the affected tissue and elevation of serum IgE may suggest an allergic mechanism in the pathogenesis of systemic IgG4-related lymphadenopathy.

Benign, atypical and malignant lymphoproliferative disorders in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Lymphadenopathy, which may be associated with systemic symptoms, is frequently associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Reactive non-neoplastic tissue comprises the majority of the lymph node lesions. However, several cohort studies have demonstrated that RA has an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs). Since the early 1990s, an atypical or malignant lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) in patients immunosupressed with methtorexate (MTX) therapy for RA has been emphasized, namely MTX-associated LPDs. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has received attention in connection with the etiology of RA. The present review describes the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical findings of reactive, atypical and malignant LPDs associated with RA along with the presence or absence of EBV in LPDs using the in situ hybridization (ISH) method. The majority of reactive lymph node lesions exhibit reactive follicular hyperplasia with interfollicular polyclonal plasmacytosis. Atypical LPDs rarely appears in RA patients. However, these cases occasionally pose difficult problems in the differential diagnosis from malignant lymphomas associated with RA or atypical and malignant LPDs showing RA-like clinicopathological findings. Clinicopathologically, three types of atypical LPDs have delineated, i.e. (i) resembling multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD); (ii) atypical paracortical hyperplasia with lymphoid follicles (APHLF) and; (iii) atypical lymphoplasmacytic immunoblastic proliferation. Malignant lymphoma associated with RA is characterized by; (i) predominance of elderly cases; (ii) usually female predominance, reflecting the sex ratio of RA; (iii) longstanding history of RA; (iv) relatively frequent advanced stage of disease; (v) majority of the patients had the B-cell phenotype; and (vi) an increased frequency of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in RA. It is unlikely that EBV is the causative agent of either reactive or atypical LPD. Among malignant lymphomas, EBV-associated lymphoma comprised only a small fraction of all NHLs in the general RA patient population.

Histological varieties of Epstein-Barr virus-related lymph node lesion resembling autoimmune disease-like clinicopathological findings in middle-aged and elderly patients: a study of six cases

Six cases were studied to further clarify clinicopathological findings of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related lymph node lesions showing autoimmune disease-like clinicopathological findings (EBVAID) in middle-aged and elderly patients. The patients, four males and two females, ranged in age from 53 to 74 years, with a median age of 62 years. Clinically, they were characterized by systemic lymphadenopathy, "B"symptoms, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase and a transient presence of various autoantibodies, as well as an infrequent presence of atypical lymphocytosis in peripheral blood. Two cases were associated with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. The clinical course was self-limiting. Histologically, three patterns could be delineated: pattern A, follicular hyperplasia with pronounced arborizing vasculature in the expanded paracortex (n=3); pattern B, follicular hyperplasia with pronounced interfollicular B-immunoblastic/plasma cell proliferation (n=2); and pattern C, paracortical hyperplasia containing numerous large transformed lymphocytes (n=1). In situ hybridization demonstrated a varying number of EBV-infected lymphocytes in the germinal center and in the interfollicular area. Polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that neither clonal rearrangement of T-cell receptor gamma-chain nor immunoglobulin heavy-chain rearrangement was detected in the three cases examined. Although EBVAID appears to be rare in middle-aged and older adults, EBVAID exhibits histological variations and should be added to the differential diagnosis of various atypical or malignant lymphoproliferative disorders, in particular autoimmune-disease-associated lymphadenopathy and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma with a hyperplastic germinal center in middle-aged and elderly patients.