T-CELL INTRAVASCULAR LYMPHOMATOSIS (ANGIOTROPIC LARGE-CELL LYMPHOMA) - ASSOCIATION WITH EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRAL-INFECTION

Aims: Intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL) is a very rare non-Hodgkin's l ymphoma characterized by proliferation of lymphoma cells in the vascul ar lumina without involvement of adjacent parenchymal tissue. IVL is p redominantly of B-cell lineage, but occasional cases of T lineage IVL involving almost exclusively the skin have been described. A case of I VL that occurred initially in the epididymis of a patient with an ante cedent nasopharyngeal carcinoma was studied to define the clinicopatho logical features associated with this unique presentation. Methods and results: This lymphoma was studied by standard histological and immun ophenotyping methods. The results showed lymphoma cells confined withi n the blood vessels, which expressed leucocyte common antigen, and T-c ell markers CD3 and UCHL-1. The T-cell origin of the IVL prompted inve stigations for an assciation with Epstein-Barr virus infection (EBV). Insitu hybridization with digoxigenin-labelled anti-sense RNA probes t o EBV encoded RNA (EBER) showed strong signals in the nuclei of virtua lly all of the lymphoma cells. Conclusions: EBV infection of the malig nant cells was demonstrated by in-situ hybridization. This case sugges ts that T-cell IVL may be another EBV related human neoplasm. This obs ervation will need to be validated by further studies.