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Malignant histiocytosis. A cytochemical and electron microscopic study of an unusual case
Author(s) -
Rausch P. Gregory,
Herion John C.,
Carney Charles N.,
Weinstein Philip
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197912)44:6<2158::aid-cncr2820440628>3.0.co;2-1
Subject(s) - histiocyte , pathology , malignant histiocytosis , medicine , histiocytosis , bone marrow , spleen , lymph , population , macrophage , immunology , biology , biochemistry , disease , environmental health , in vitro
A 25‐year‐old black female presented with lymphadenopathy, fever and anemia of two months duration. The diagnosis of malignant histiocytosis was made on the basis of histiocytic infiltrations in the sinuses of spleen, liver and lymph nodes and by the demonstration of erythrophagocytosis in bone marrow. Following splenectomy, the patient developed a leukemic phase with as many as 50 × 10 9 abnormal histiocytes/1 and bone marrow necrosis. This patient was also atypical because of multiple granulomas in liver, spleen and lymph nodes. Cytochemical and immunofluorescent stains confirmed that the abnormal cells were derived from the monocyte‐macrophage series. Electron microscopy was used to further characterize this abnormal cell population. The electron microscopic and cytochemical evidence confirms that the malignant cells in malignant histiocytosis are derived from monocytes.