IgG4-producing marginal zone B-cell lymphoma

IgG4-related disease is a recently proposed clinical entity with several unique clinicopathological features. A chronic inflammatory state with marked fibrosis, which can often be mistaken for malignancy, especially by clinical imaging analyses, unifies these features. Little is known about lymphomagenesis in the context of IgG4-related disease, we recently first reported the ocular adnexal marginal zone B-cell lymphomas arising from IgG4-related disease. To the best of our knowledge, no existing study has ever established the neoplastic potential of IgG4-producing cells. In the present report, we describe the first IgG4-producing lymphoma. The patient was a 72-year-old male who was being followed for an asbestos-related pleural plaque. During follow-up, computed tomography revealed bilateral renal masses and multiple swollen retroperitoneal lymph nodes. A retroperitoneal lymph node biopsy was performed. Histologically, the interfollicular areas were expanded by medium to large plasmacytoid cells. These plasmacytoid cells showed nuclear pleomorphism and had prominent Russell bodies. Immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence staining of these cells revealed IgG4 positivity and monotypic lambda-light chain predominance. A portion of these cells were partially positive for CD20, negative for CD3, and somewhat faintly positive for CD138. In addition, serum IgG4 was elevated. Southern blot analysis of the lymph node specimen detected immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement. The present study indicates that, not only can malignant lymphomas occur in the setting of IgG4-related disease, but IgG4-producing cells can also be neoplastic.