T4+ (helper phenotype) chronic lymphocytic leukemia: case report with liver failure and literature review

T-cell lymphomas and leukemias are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms found in each anatomic compartment of the T system (marrow, thymus, and various peripheral tissues) and that have varying phenotypic expressions. Histopathologic features of the thymic and peripheral T neoplasms do not fit into a clearly defined pattern, and clinical expressions of T neoplasms are likewise variable. This report describes a 60-year-old man with "chronic" lymphocytic leukemia of T4+ (helper) phenotype. Rapid deterioration in liver function, presumably due to tumor infiltration, was unexpected and has not previously been reported. The unusual clinical and pathologic features are reviewed in the context of T-cell neoplasms, particularly T4+ processes.