Peripheral T-cell lymphoma presenting as predominant liver disease: a report of three cases

Three cases of a peculiar form of peripheral T-cell lymphoma presenting as predominant hepatic disease with splenomegaly are reported. The three patients had marked liver enlargement without lymphadenopathy; white blood cell count was normal, and modifications of hepatic tests were mild. In the three cases, the diagnosis of the lymphoma was mainly based on the results of hepatic morphological changes. Liver involvement was histologically characterized by a predominantly sinusoidal infiltration by tumor cells in the three cases, associated with perisinusoidal fibrosis in two of them; portal infiltration was noted in two patients. Immunopathological study showed that tumor cells were T-lymphoid cells that were different from normal T-lymphocytes by the lack of expression of one T-cell membrane antigen, i.e., Leu-1. These findings suggest that a distinct clinical, pathological and immunopathological entity might be individualized within the large group of T-cell lymphomas.