Potential misdiagnosis of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma with Hodgkin's lymphoma: a case report

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is an aggressive neoplasm. We investigated the potential utility of touch imprints evaluated in conjunction with the histology of lymph nodes in the diagnosis of AITL. CASE A 58-year-old man presented with generalized lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and autoimmune phenomena, which complicated the diagnosis. Touch imprints were obtained from the lymph node biopsy, which were valuable in making the correct diagnosis. The cytologic and microscopic features of these imprints and lymph node samples showed a heterogeneous population of hematolymphoid cells, including small to intermediate lymphoid cells, immunoblasts, plasma cells, dendritic cells, and eosinophils, as well as small vessels that were surrounded by some of the abnormal cells. Neoplastic cells stained positive for CD3, CD4, and CD5. Isolated immunoblasts stained with CD20 and CD30.

We draw attention to this neoplastic diagnosis and correlate the cytomorphologic and immunohistochemical findings with the adequate clinical setting in order to avoid misdiagnosis, primarily with Hodgkin's lymphoma and reactive hyperplasia. Touch imprints are useful in the diagnosis of AITL if the broad population of proliferating cells is distinguished. However, some cases display binucleated or mononucleated cells with prominent nucleoli and many eosinophils, which may induce a potential misdiagnosis with Hodgkin's lymphoma.