NODULAR LYMPHOCYTE PREDOMINANT HODGKINS-DISEASE PROGRESSING TO A LARGE B-CELL LYMPHOMA WITHOUT PREVIOUS TREATMENT

The nodular form of lymphocyte predominance Hodgkin's disease presents particular clinical and biological features that have set it apart as a distinct clinicopathological entity. It has an indolent course with long-term survival despite frequent localized relapses, and a remarka ble tendency to progress into a B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Biologi cal evidence strongly point to a B-cell proliferation from the start. We report the unique case of a patient with nodular lymphocyte predomi nant Hodgkin's disease in stage I who had all disease removed for diag nosis and did not receive fu;ther treatment. He relapsed in the same l ymph node area twelve years later, and the biopsy was now consistent w ith a large B-cell lymphoma. The histopathological and immunophenotypi c profiles clearly show the identity of the two lymph node proliferati ons. This phenomenon exemplifies the growing inter-relashionship betwe en Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.