[Clinico-pathologic study of Kikuchi's necrotizing lymphadenitis. Report on 11 cases]

Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis of Kikuchi is a rare benign disease. Characteristically, patients are young women with cervical adenopathy which may be associated with fever. Histologically, the involved lymph nodes show focal, well-circumscribed, paracortical, necrotizing lesions which contain karyorrhectic debris and aggregates of large mononuclear cells but no neutrophils. This disorder can be misdiagnosed as malignant lymphoma. The histological features seem to be related to delayed-type hypersensitivity but the antigenic stimulus is still unknown. The clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis in 11 patients are described. In necrotic areas, the majority of cells represent histiocytes and T cells (predominantly of CD8 phenotype). The involved lymph nodes were localized to several cervical sites (commonly jugular area).