Lymphomatoid granulomatosis. Light microscopic, electron microscopic and immunohistochemical study.

A case of lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG) involving the lungs, skin, stomach, and possibly the left kidney in a 60-year-old man is presented. The infiltrates in the lungs, stomach, and skin showed a polymorphic appearance, and consisted predominantly of lymphocytes of mature and blastic form and of a few neutrophils, plasma cells, and histiocytes. Most lymphoid cells showed irregularly shaped nuclei and clustered dense bodies, characteristics indicative of T lymphocytes. An immunohistochemical study confirmed the T cell origin of the lymphocytes; i.e. they were positive for Leu-1, Leu-3a and Ia-like antigens but negative for Leu-2a antigen and the antibodies against light chains. The homogeneity of the major population of infiltrates in LYG indicates that at least some forms of LYG may be neoplastic or pre-neoplastic lymphocytic disorders which may ultimately progress to malignant lymphoma.