THE NATURAL-HISTORY OF MONOCLONAL VILLOUS LYMPHOCYTOSIS - A CHRONIC LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDER OF CD11C-CELLS( B)

The long-term outcome of three asymptomatic subjects with isolated per sistent lymphocytosis of monoclonal villous B-cells (MVL) is reviewed. After 7.5 years, evolution to a splenic lymphoma variant (SLVL) was d ocumented in only one patient, accompanied by a loss of interleukin-1 beta autocrine production, confirming that MVL can be an early form of a malignant disorder. The clinical course was uneventful in the other two cases; a progressive lowering of lymphocyte count being noted in one. While the strict relationship of MVL to SLVL is confirmed, time t o progression is unpredictable and the mechanisms by which it occurs s till remain to be elucidated.