Expression of interleukin-6 in polymorphic reticulosis--immunohistochemical study of 5 cases

Peripheral T cell lymphoma encompasses lymphomas with a variety of histologic appearances and clinical patterns. Recently, it has been suggested that almost all of the histologic features described under the name of polymorphic reticulosis(PR), lethal midline granuloma, and midline malignant reticulosis can be included in those generally described for malignant lymphomas of peripheral T cell origin(PTCL). There have been few studies of pathogenesis or tissue damage mechanism in PR patients. The need for a precise mechanism for tissue damage has important therapeutic implications. Using immunohistochemical methods with polyclonal anti IL-6 antibody, the authors describe 5 cases of PR with clinically and pathologically typical PR demonstrating a high expression of IL-6. According to classification, 2 cases of grade 1 PR showed the highest expressions, and 2 cases of grade 2 PR with atypical lymphoid cells showed moderate activity, but one case progressed into frank lymphoma(grade 3) and lost IL-6 expression. This strongly implies that some cases of PR have a different mechanism of tissue damage from frank PTCL, despite the one disease spectrum. Further studies on more cases may help clarify the pathogenesis.