T-CELL LYMPHOMA PRESENTING WITH PERICARDIAL AND PLEURAL EFFUSION AS THE INITIAL AND PRIMARY LESION - CYTOGENETIC AND MOLECULAR EVIDENCE

A 90-year-old woman was admitted with progressive dyspnea. Chest roent genogram and computed tomography revealed a massive pericardial effusi on and bilateral pleural effusion, but no lymphomatous lesion was seen , A diagnosis of malignant lymphoma was made by cytological and immuno logical studies of the cells obtained from the pericardial effusion, C hromosome analysis showed a clonal abnormality and T-lineage clonality was determined by the rearrangement of the T-cell receptor gamma gene , The patient achieved remission with chemotherapy, but she later rela psed, with right pleural effusion, and died, She exhibited no lymphoma tous features throughout the clinical course, indicating the possibili ty of malignant lymphoma originating from the pericardium and/or pleur a.