Positive c-ANCA in a Patient with Lymphoma and Without Vasculitis

Wegener's granulomatosis is an uncommon systemic disease characterized by necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis of the upper and lower respiratory tract and glomerulonephritis. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-cytoplasmic pattern is a sensitive and relatively specific marker for active Wegener's granulomatosis. We describe a patient whose presentation was superficially suggestive of Wegener's granulomatosis and who had high levels of antibodies directed against proteinase-3 and myeloperoxidase but ultimately was found to have high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.