T-cell intravascular lymphomatosis (angiotropic large cell lymphoma): association with Epstein-Barr viral infection

Histopathology. 1997 Dec;31(6):563-7. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2559.1997.3050903.x.

Abstract

Aims: Intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL) is a very rare non-Hodgkin's lymphoma characterized by proliferation of lymphoma cells in the vascular lumina without involvement of adjacent parenchymal tissue. IVL is predominantly of B-cell lineage, but occasional cases of T lineage IVL involving almost exclusively the skin have been described. A case of IVL that occurred initially in the epididymis of a patient with an antecedent nasopharyngeal carcinoma was studied to define the clinicopathological features associated with this unique presentation.

Methods and results: This lymphoma was studied by standard histological and immunophenotyping methods. The results showed lymphoma cells confined within the blood vessels, which expressed leucocyte common antigen, and T-cell markers CD3 and UCHL-1. The T-cell origin of the IVL prompted investigations for an association with Epstein-Barr virus infection (EBV). In-situ hybridization with digoxigenin-labelled anti-sense RNA probes to EBV encoded RNA (EBER) showed strong signals in the nuclei of virtually all of the lymphoma cells.

Conclusions: EBV infection of the malignant cells was demonstrated by in-situ hybridization. This case suggests that T-cell IVL may be another EBV related human neoplasm. This observation will need to be validated by further studies.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Fatal Outcome
  • Herpesviridae Infections / pathology*
  • Herpesvirus 4, Human*
  • Humans
  • Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / pathology*
  • Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / virology*
  • Lymphoma, T-Cell / pathology*
  • Lymphoma, T-Cell / virology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Tumor Virus Infections / pathology*