Hepatosplenic αβ T-cell lymphoma -: An unusual case with clinical, histologic, and cytogenetic features of γδ hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma

Hepatosplenic gamma delta T-cell lymphoma is a recently identified entity in which lymphoma cells bearing the gamma delta T-cell receptor (TCR) infiltrate the sinusoids of the liver and the sinuses of the splenic red pulp and bone marrow, without lymph node involvement. It is also characterized by a recurrent cytogenetic finding, isochromosome 7q (i7q10). The authors report a case of hepatosplenic lymphoma of alpha beta T-cell phenotype that shares the same clinical, histologic, and cytogenetic characteristics of the previously described hepatosplenic gamma delta T-cell lymphoma. Fluorescent in situ hybridization performed with chromosome 7 probes showed the typical pattern of isochromosome 7q. Genomic analysis of the TCR gamma locus failed to detect a clonal rearrangement. This unique case of hepatosplenic lymphoma of alpha beta T-cell phenotype supports the possibility that lymphoid populations of different alpha beta or gamma delta phenotype that share similar homing and presumably functional proper ties could give rise to lymphomas displaying similar clinical and pathologic findings.