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Clonal chronic lymphocytic leukaemia‐like B lymphocytes in the blood of patients with cutaneous T‐cell disorders
Author(s) -
Vader S. Daenen. P. C. vanVoorst,
Pietens N. Blom. J.,
Hollema H.,
Smit J. W.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1993.tb03171.x
Subject(s) - erythroderma , cd5 , population , chronic lymphocytic leukemia , lymphoma , medicine , immunophenotyping , immunology , pathology , malignancy , leukemia , antigen , environmental health
Summary A population of B cells with characteristics of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia was found in the peripheral blood of four patients who presented with cutaneous infiltration of atypical CD4+ T cells with cerebriform nuclei. The B cells had a low density of immunoglobulin on their surface membrane, expressed CD5‐positivity, and showed monoclonality based on the restriction to either kappa or lambda light chains. In one patient with tumourous pleiomorphic CD4 + CU30 ‐ T‐cell lymphoma of the skin, it was the first manifestation of a concomitant B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lym phoma of low‐grade malignancy. In three other patients with reactive atypical T‐cell erythroderma, there was no evidence for the coexistence of a B‐cell malignancy. The number of CD5+ B cells decreased in two erythroderma patients with clinical remission of the cutaneous lesions. It is speculated that the presence of a monoclonal B cell population in patients with T‐cell disorders of the skin is due either to a reactive process possibly conferring some protective effect, or a response to an unknown stimulus produced by the T cells.