[Polymorphic histological changes in a case of angio-immunoblastic adenopathy (author's transl)]

A patient aged 65 years was observed to have successive adenomegalic syndromes over a period of 4 years, with variable histological appearances. A right cervical adenopathy had the histological appearance of a simple antigenic-stimulation lesion. Three years later, a right inguinal adenomegaly presented all the histological criteria of angioimmunoblastic adenopathies, without, however, any humoral immunity disturbance. Two months later, a biopsy of a palatine tumour confirmed the diagnosis of an immunoblastic sarcoma. The condition then became generalized as a lymphoblastic type of diffuse lymphosarcoma, and autopsy one year later showed the presence of a pleomorphic lymphosarcoma in several lymphoid formations. This case serves as a basis for discussing the concept of angio-immunoblastic adenopathy; the result of various antigenic aggressions or the early stage of a haematosarcoma. It also clearly demonstrates the sometimes contingent characteristics and difficulties in classification of haematosarcomas.