Intravascular histiocytosis associated with rheumatoid arthritis: report of a case with lymphatic endothelial proliferation

Cutaneous Intravascular Hematolymphoid Entities: A Review

Intravascular lymphomas are rare disease conditions that exhibit neoplastic lymphoid cells that are confined mainly to the lumens of small capillaries and medium-sized vessels. The majority of the intravascular lymphomas are of B-cell origin, but they can include NK/T-cell and CD30+ immunophenotypes. In the histologic differential diagnosis are benign proliferations such as intralymphatic histiocytosis and intravascular atypical CD30+ T-cell proliferation. In this review, we discuss the clinical, histopathologic, and molecular findings of intravascular B-cell lymphoma, intravascular NK/T-cell lymphoma, intralymphatic histiocytosis, and benign atypical intravascular CD30+ T-cell proliferation.

Intralymphatic Histiocytosis Associated With Tubo-ovarian High-grade Serous Carcinoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Intralymphatic histiocytosis is a condition characterized by the accumulation of mononuclear phagocytes within lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes that may be isolated or secondary to autoimmune or neoplastic diseases. Secondary intralymphatic histiocytosis frequently involves the skin and is associated with malignancies in up to a tenth of cases. We describe a case of intralymphatic histiocytosis associated with high-grade serous carcinoma and reviewed the literature on neoplasia associated with the broader category of histiocytoses with raisinoid nuclei. Moreover, we try to elucidate the pathogenesis of these rare and intriguing disorders.

Intralymphatic Histiocytosis Associated with Osteoarthritis: A Case Report

Intralymphatic histiocytosis (ILH) is a rare cutaneous condition with uncertain pathogenesis. It is characterized by dilated lymphatic vessels that contain histiocytes within their lumina. Although the etiology of ILH remains unknown, it has been associated with various inflammatory and neoplastic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), reaction to metal joint implants and Merkel cell carcinoma, breast cancer and colon cancer. An 83-year-old female presented with an erythematous patch on the left forearm that had appeared six months previous. She had suffered from osteoarthritis (OA) and the cutaneous lesion was located in the vicinity of the affected joint. Skin biopsy from the lesion showed dilated dermal vessels and some ectatic vessels that contained many mononuclear histiocytes. Based on the clinical and histopathological findings, we diagnosed her with ILH with OA. Two sessions of intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection (5 mg/ml) were administered to treat the skin lesion, which gradually improved over a period of a few months. We here report a rare case of ILH associated with degenerative OA.

Intravascular histiocytosis: mimicker of cellulitis, angiosarcoma, inflammatory breast cancer, and others

BACKGROUND

Intravascular histiocytosis is an underrecognized reactive skin condition characterized by the clinical finding of poorly demarcated erythematous to violaceous patches and plaques. The diagnosis is confirmed by the histologic findings of intraluminal histiocytes on skin biopsy and exclusion of an alternative diagnosis.

METHODS

A review of patients with a histologic diagnosis of intravascular or intralymphatic histiocytosis and seen at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, from January 1, 2010, to October 10, 2020, was performed. Histologic and clinical information was collected from the medical records.

RESULTS

Nine patients were identified. Clinical impressions prior to biopsy varied widely, and no clinician included intravascular histiocytosis in the initial clinical differential diagnosis. Eight patients had preceding trauma to the affected area.

CONCLUSION

Intravascular histiocytosis remains a rare skin condition. Clinical identification remains low. Our cases add support to the hypothesis that intravascular histiocytosis is a reactive condition often preceded by trauma and/or surgery.

Intralymphatic histiocytosis in healing cellulitis: Case report and review of the literature

Intralymphatic histiocytosis (ILH) is a rare skin benign condition observed in a variety of inflammatory settings. It is characterized by the presence of ectatic dermal lymphatic vessels containing aggregates of histiocytes. Associated conditions that have been identified include rheumatoid arthritis, metallic orthopedic implants, inflammatory bowel disease, and malignancies of the breast, skin, and colon. Some cases with no attributable underlying cause have been described. The pathophysiology of ILH is not well understood. It has been proposed that it may represent macrophage migration during immune activation. Herein, we present the first description of ILH observed in the healing phase of cellulitis on the skin of the breast. Awareness of this possibility is important when the diagnosis of intravascular carcinomatosis is being considered.

Intralymphatic histiocytosis in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma treated with pembrolizumab: a case report

Background

Pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed cell death-1 protein monoclonal antibody, is effective for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab induce various immune-related adverse events, involving the lung, liver, gastrointestinal, endocrine system, and skin. Intralymphatic histiocytosis (ILH) is a rare, chronic cutaneous disorder with a reactive inflammatory component, which often occurs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Case presentation

We present a 67-year-old man with lung adenocarcinoma who developed ILH associated with pembrolizumab treatment. He was treated with palliative thoracic radiotherapy for superior vena cava syndrome. Subsequently, he received four cycles of pembrolizumab. Approximately 2.5 months after the initiation of pembrolizumab, he developed erythema on the trunk of his body. Based on findings of skin biopsies, he was diagnosed with pembrolizumab-induced ILH. Moreover, the upregulation of tumor necrosis factor-α was observed during pembrolizumab therapy.

Conclusions

This is the first report of ILH induced by pembrolizumab in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma.

Intralymphatic Histiocytosis of the Appendix and Fallopian Tube Associated With Primary Peritoneal High-Grade, Poorly Differentiated Adenocarcinoma of Müllerian Origin

Intralymphatic histiocytosis (ILH) is a peculiar pathological process characterized by the collections of benign histiocytes in dilated lymph vessels. Although the majority of ILH patients present clinically with various forms of cutaneous manifestation, rare extracutaneous incidences have been reported in the literature. To date, ILH has not been described in an internal visceral organ. We report the case of a 68-year-old woman who underwent an appendectomy during a surgical procedure for a primary peritoneal high-grade, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of Müllerian origin. Although no malignancy was identified in the appendix, the appendiceal mucosa and submucosa were expanded by dilated vascular channels harboring aggregates of uniform epithelioid cells. Similar histological changes were also identified in the right fallopian tube. Immunohistochemical studies revealed the lymphatic nature of the vessels and the histiocytic origin of the intravascular cells. Of note was the presence of scattered multinucleated giant cells in the histiocytic population, a histological feature not described hitherto in ILH. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of ILH harboring multinucleated giant cells, involving internal visceral organs, and associated with a malignant tumor of the gynecological system. As such, the current case report expands the clinical and histological spectrum of ILH.

Intralymphatic histiocytosis comprises M2 macrophages in superficial dermal lymphatics with or without smooth muscles

Intralymphatic histiocytosis represents a rare reactive disorder, which is characterized by the accumulation of macrophages within lymphatic vessels and observed predominantly in upper extremities. The infiltration and preferential M2 differentiation of macrophage are observed in chronic lymphedema, and lymphedema is considered a causative factor of intralymphatic histiocytosis. However, what causes accumulation of histiocytes in the lymphatic vessels remains unclear, and investigation regarding the characteristics of the macrophages has not been evaluated. We present a case of intralymphatic histiocytosis, in which immunohistochemical staining for both macrophages and lymphatic vessels was performed to evaluate the nature of macrophages within lymphatic vessels and to determine the causative factor. Aggregated macrophages were shown to be M2 macrophages positive for CD68, CD163 and CD206 but negative for inducible nitric oxide synthase. Thick lymphatic vessels positive for D2-40 and α-SMA in the superficial dermis were observed. We speculate that chronic lymphedema leads to hypertrophy of lymphatic vessels with smooth muscle in the superficial dermis, which may be a kind of malformation, and these lymphatic vessels produce some chemokines that induce intralymphatic aggregation of macrophages.

Intravascular/Intralymphatic Histiocytosis: A Report of 3 Cases

Intravascular/intralymphatic histiocytosis (IV/ILH) is a rare, reactive cutaneous condition, with uncertain pathogenesis. It may be associated with various inflammatory and neoplastic diseases. Although the clinical presentation is various, the biopsies reveal dilated vessels, mostly lymphatics, containing aggregates of histiocytes within their lumina. We described 3 cases of IV/ILH with different clinical presentations. In the first case, the patient presented with lymphedema in the genital region without any underlying disease. However, the second and third cases had reticular erythematous skin lesions. The second case had common variable immunodeficiency disease, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and a history of a lymphoproliferative lesion. The third case had metal prostheses at both his right and left knees. In all these 3 cases, histopathologic and immunohistochemical findings were similar to each other and to those cases reported in the literature. In addition, the third case was admixed with reactive angioendotheliomatosis. In the second case, the endothelium of the ectatic vessels expressed CD31 and CD34, but not D2-40/podoplanin, pointing out that these vessels were blood vessels rather than lymphatics, differing from the other 2 cases. In conclusion, we believe, the most convincing statement about IV/ILH is that it is not a distinct clinicopathologic entity, but a histopathologic feature found as a part of a constellation of inflammatory changes or many other conditions.

Extracutaneous intravascular histiocytosis of the aortic valve: Report of two cases

Intravascular histiocytosis (IVH) is a rare condition of uncertain pathogenesis often associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) exclusively observed in the skin. In a retrospective study of 207 consecutive cases of aortic valve disease, we observed two cases of IVH characterized by the presence of thin-walled, dilated blood vessels containing collections of CD68+ and CD163+ mononuclear histiocytes. Immunostains for CD31, CD34, and D2-40 confirmed the intravascular location of these histiocytes. One of the two cases was associated with RA. This case was observed among 41 cases of RA with calcific aortic valve stenosis. The other case was detected among 152 cases of calcific aortic valve stenosis in isolation. A total of 14 valves showed no calcification. IVH can manifest in the aortic valve and be associated with systemic disease. In contrast to other cases, the vessels observed in this study exhibited negative expression of the lymphatic marker D2-40. Our findings expand on the previously described location features of IVH.

[Cheilitis granulomatosa and Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. Intralymphatic histiocytosis as valuable diagnostic indication]

Intravascular and/or intralymphatic cell aggregations can occur in malignant tumors as well as in benign reactive conditions, such as chronic inflammatory diseases. This article discusses the valuable histomorphological aspects of intralymphatic histiocytosis (or granuloma) in the differential diagnostics to other entities exemplified by a case report on juvenile cheilitis granulomatosa. In addition other benign entities sometimes presenting with the phenomenon of intravascular histiocytosis (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, orthopedic metal implants and Rosai-Dorfman disease) are discussed.

Cutaneous intralymphatic histiocytosis associated with rheumatoid arthritis: report of a case and review of the literature

Various dermatoses have been described associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, a specific cutaneous lesion termed "intravascular histiocytosis" has been proposed as a new entity among these dermatoses. We report the case of a 50-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis for about 10 years who developed erythematous patches on the extensor surface of lower extremities. Histopathologically, the lesions showed intraluminal proliferation of CD68-positive histiocytes in vessels lined with endothelial cells expressing D2-40, a selective marker for lymphatic endothelium.