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Enteropathy‐associated T‐cell lymphomas have a cytotoxic T‐cell phenotype
Author(s) -
DE BRUIN P.C.,
CONNOLLY C.E.,
OUDEJANS J.J.,
KUMMER J.A.,
JANSEN W.,
MCCARTHY C.F.,
MEIJER C.J.L.M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2559.1997.2660862.x
Subject(s) - granzyme b , cytotoxic t cell , granzyme , granzyme a , enteropathy , t cell , immunology , pathology , lymphoma , biology , medicine , phenotype , antigen , cancer research , cd8 , perforin , immune system , disease , in vitro , biochemistry , gene
Aims: Enteropathy‐associated T‐cell lymphoma (EATCL) is a rare complication of coeliac disease. We investigated whether EATCLs are the neoplastic counterparts of activated cytotoxic T‐cells (CTLs). Methods and results: Eight cases, clinically and histologically defined, were stained with monoclonal antibodies against components of the cytotoxic granules of CTLs, granzyme B and T‐cell restricted intracellular antigen (TIA‐1). It was found that all cases had a cytotoxic phenotype, i.e. expression of TIA‐1 in most of the tumour cells, whereas granzyme B was found in six of eight cases, mostly in a smaller number of tumour cells compared to TIA‐1. Since TIA‐1 and granzyme B are expressed at different stages of activation of CTLs it is hypothesized that differences in expression between granzyme B and TIA‐1 in EATCL represent different stages of activation in which the tumour cells are arrested. Clinically, seven of the eight patients died within 10 months after diagnosis of EATCL. Conclusions: EATCL is a clinicopathological entity with a grim prognosis and with tumour cells representing a unique neoplastic equivalent of CTLs arrested in varying stages of activation.