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Post-transplant Events

Indolent T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukaemia after haematopoietic SCT: a clinicopathologic and molecular analysis

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 47, pages 952–956 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Four women and three men after allogeneic (n=4) and autologous (n=3) haematopoietic SCT (HSCT) were observed to have an increase in T-cell large granular lymphocytes (T-LGLs) of CD3+CD8+ phenotype for a median of 41 (15–118) months. Clonal rearrangement of the T-cell receptor gene was verified by two PCR techniques and direct DNA sequencing, confirming that the cases were neoplastic and therefore classifiable as T-LGL leukaemia. In the allogeneic HSCT cases, T-LGL leukaemia was derived from donor T cells in three patients, as shown by DNA chimerism analysis, and recipient T cells in one patient who had graft failure previously. None of the patients showed cytopenia, autoimmune phenomenon or organ infiltration, which were features typical of de novo T-LGL leukaemia. Six patients had remained asymptomatic with stable large granular lymphocyte counts. One patient died from cerebral relapse of the original lymphoma. T-LGL leukaemias occurring post-HSCT are distinct from de novo T-LGL leukaemia and may have a different pathogenesis and clinical course. Patients did not require specific treatment, and the disease remained stable for long periods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China

    H Gill, A W K Pang, E Tse, A Y H Leung, A K W Lie & Y-L Kwong

  2. Department of Pathology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China

    A H W Ip, R Leung & J C C So

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  1. H Gill
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  2. A H W Ip
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  3. R Leung
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  5. A W K Pang
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  7. A Y H Leung
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  8. A K W Lie
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Correspondence to Y-L Kwong.

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Gill, H., Ip, A., Leung, R. et al. Indolent T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukaemia after haematopoietic SCT: a clinicopathologic and molecular analysis. Bone Marrow Transplant 47, 952–956 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2011.212

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