Malignant histiocytosis: report of five Chinese patients

Five Chinese patients with malignant histiocytosis are described, the diagnosis being based on microscopic evidence of infiltration of at least three different tissues by noncohesive atypical phagocytic histiocytes, without total obliteration of normal architecture of those tissues. The mean age of the patients was 28 years; all presented with pyrexia (of 2 weeks to 2 1/2 years duration) and all had circulating neoplastic cells. Two patients showed remission with quadruple chemotherapy and one is alive and without symptoms 6 years after onset of his illness.