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The epidemiology of classical Hodgkin lymphoma varies significantly in populations with different socioeconomic conditions. Among other changes, improvement in such conditions leads to a reduction in the association with EBV infection and predominance of the nodular sclerosis subtype. This study provides an overview of the epidemiology of 817 cases of classical Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosed in five reference hospitals of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, over 54 years (1954-2008). The cases were distributed in 3 periods (1954-1979; 1980-1999; and 2000-2008). EBV-positive cases decreased from 87% to 46%. In children and adolescents (<15 years) and in young adults (15-45 years), EBV-positive cases decreased respectively from 96% to 64%, and from 85% to 32%. The percentage of male patients declined from 80% to 58%. In older patients (>45 years), the decrease in EBV infection was not significant. Nodular Sclerosis was the most common subtype in all periods. These results support the hypothesis that, in the Brazilian State of Sao Paulo, classical Hodgkin lymphoma has changed and now shows characteristics consistent with Pattern III observed in populations that experienced a similar socioeconomic transition.

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Kimura's disease (KD) is a rare chronic inflammatory disease of unclear etiology, characterized by subcutaneous nodules, mainly in the head and neck region, frequently associated with regional lymphadenopathy. Orbital involvement is infrequent and when it occurs, usually affects the eyelid or the lacrimal gland. We report a case of a 44-year-old man that presented with bilateral slowly progressive proptosis that was initially misdiagnosed as Graves' Ophthalmopathy. 15 months of worsening proptosis and the development of facial and temporal swelling led to further investigation. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed enlargement of all recti muscles and diffuse orbital infiltration. An orbital biopsy was performed and was consistent with the diagnosis of KD. Long term oral corticosteroid showed marked improvement of proptosis and facial swelling. This case serves to emphasize that KD should be included in the differential diagnosis of inflammatory diseases of the orbit, even when characterized by predominant involvement of the extraocular muscles.

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Bone marrow biopsy is recommended for staging of classical Hodgkin lymphoma. The aim of this study was to compare bone marrow evaluation by histology with that obtained by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). One hundred and three cases of Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma were reviewed. All patients were submitted to FDG-PET evaluation. Bone marrow biopsy results were compared with clinical data and FDG-PET results. Ninety-one cases had available bone marrow biopsies. Overall, there were 16 positive and one suspect case. In five cases, the FDG-PET scan was positive and biopsy was negative: 1/5 was found to correspond to a bone fracture, 3/5 showed marked reactive bone marrow changes and in 1/5 no explanation for the discrepancy was found. FDG-PET showed high sensitivity, supporting the idea that when it is negative, biopsy could be avoided. Care should be taken in patients with a positive FDG-PET, where confirmation by bone marrow biopsy should be recommended.

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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the results of T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia treatment with fludarabine by assessing the complete hematologic response, the complete molecular response, progression-free survival, and overall survival. METHODS: We evaluated the records of six patients with T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia who were treated with fludarabine as a first-, second-, or third-line therapy, at a dose of 40 mg/m², for three to five days per month and 6 to 8 cycles. RESULTS: Of the six patients investigated with T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia who were treated with fludarabine, five (83.3%) were female, and their median age was 36.5 years (range 18 to 73). The median lymphocyte level was 3.4 x 10(9)/L (0.5 to 8.9). All patients exhibited a monoclonal T-cell receptor gamma gene rearrangement at diagnosis. Two (33.3%) patients received fludarabine as first-line treatment, two (33.3%) for refractory disease, one (16.6%) for relapsed disease after the suspension of methotrexate treatment due to liver toxicity, and one (16.6%) due to dyspepsia. A complete hematologic response was achieved in all cases, and a complete molecular response was achieved in five out six cases (83.3%). During a mean follow-up period of 12 months, both the progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 100%. CONCLUSION: T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia demonstrated a high rate of complete hematologic and molecular response to fludarabine, with excellent compliance and tolerability rates. To confirm our results in this rare disease, we believe that fludarabine should be tested in clinical trials as a first-line treatment for T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia.

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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the results of T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia treatment with fludarabine by assessing the complete hematologic response, the complete molecular response, progression-free survival, and overall survival. METHODS: We evaluated the records of six patients with T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia who were treated with fludarabine as a first-, second-, or third-line therapy, at a dose of 40 mg/m², for three to five days per month and 6 to 8 cycles. RESULTS: Of the six patients investigated with T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia who were treated with fludarabine, five (83.3%) were female, and their median age was 36.5 years (range 18 to 73). The median lymphocyte level was 3.4x10(9)/L (0.5 to 8.9). All patients exhibited a monoclonal T-cell receptor gamma gene rearrangement at diagnosis. Two (33.3%) patients received fludarabine as first-line treatment, two (33.3%) for refractory disease, one (16.6%) for relapsed disease after the suspension of methotrexate treatment dueto liver toxicity, and one (16.6%) due to dyspesia. A complete hematologic response was achieved in all cases, and a complete molecular response was achieved in five out six cases (83.3%). During a mean follow-up period of 12 months, both the progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 100%. CONCLUSION: T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia demonstrated a high rate of complete hematologic and molecular response to fludarabine, with excellent compliance and tolerability rates. To confirm our results in this rare disease, we believe that fludarabine should be tested in clinical trials as a first-line treatment for T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia.

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First described by Dr. Benjamin Castleman in 1956, Castleman disease is an uncommon disease of an etiology that is not yet thoroughly known. Three distinct histological subtypes have already been described: hyaline-vascular-, plasma cell-, and human herpes virus 8-associated variant, clinically distinguished in multi or unicentric types. Castleman disease is occasionally diagnosed in children, but more often in young adults, with no gender predominance. The symptoms are rather heterogeneous, varying from an asymptomatic mass in the unicentric Castleman disease type, to life-threatening systemic inflammatory state with systemic symptoms in the multicentric Castleman disease type. The authors report a case of a 15-year-old boy who sought medical attention due to a cervical tumor mass, without systemic symptoms. Pathology exam of the excised mass diagnosed a very typical example of the hyaline-vascular unicentric type of Castleman disease.

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While chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are common diseases in the elderly, they rarely occur simultaneously in the same patient. Here we present the case of a 77-year-old patient diagnosed with CML in the chronic phase who showed an optimal response to 400 mg/day of imatinib. This patient progressed to Binet B-CLL with an 11q22.3 deletion and CD38 positivity in the 4th month of treatment. During the follow-up, his lymphocyte number doubled in <6 months. Based on previous reports, dasatinib was chosen instead of imatinib. After 6 months of treatment with 100 mg/day of dasatinib, the patient demonstrated a partial response, characterized by the regression of lymph node enlargement, a hemoglobin level of 10.7 g/dl, neutrophils of 1.7 × 10(9)/l, a 82% reduction in the lymphocyte number and an increase in cytotoxic CD8+ and large granular lymphocytes. This partial response has persisted to the present time. While little data have been published regarding the in vitro effect of dasatinib monotherapy for CLL, this case report provides some evidence of the clinical activity of dasatinib in CLL.

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Paracoccidioides brasiliensis rarely shows bone marrow involvement and its response to treatment with itraconazole in children needs further assessment. We describe here a child with a juvenile disseminated form of paracoccidioidomycosis, which showed reticuloendothelial system involvement and the presence of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in the bone marrow. The patient showed an effective and rapid response to itraconazole therapy.

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Estudo retrospectivo que visa analisar a utilidade da biópsia de medula óssea (BMO) bilateral na infiltração de medula óssea (MO) por linfoma difuso de grandes células B (LDGCB). Nossos objetivos foram avaliar a incidência de infiltração unilateral de MO por LDGCB e comparar o comprimento dos fragmentos obtidos entre as amostras positivas e negativas para infiltração. Além disso, verificamos se houve diferença entre os casos com infiltração unilateral versus bilateral, correlacionando com desidrogenase láctica (DHL) e estadiamento tomográfico. Avaliamos 268 casos de LDGCB e observamos infiltração medular em 34 casos (13 por cento). Não foi possível a avaliação de seis casos, restando 28 casos para análise. Foram revisados no total 70 fragmentos de MO sobre presença ou ausência de infiltração e comprimento. A média do número de fragmentos por casos foi 2,5; a média do comprimento dos fragmentos foi 11,01 mm (± 5,12 mm), e a média do comprimento dos fragmentos por caso foi 27,53 mm. Foi observado que em seis casos (21,4 por cento) havia infiltração unilateral. Não foram evidenciadas diferenças nas médias do comprimento dos fragmentos em relação à presença versus ausência de infiltração 10,95 mm (± 5,1 mm) versus 11,57 mm (± 5,2 mm), p > 0,05, respectivamente. Não foram evidenciadas diferenças em 23 casos entre a comparação da infiltração medular unilateral versus bilateral com DHL e estadiamento tomográfico. Concluímos que a BMO bilateral foi superior à unilateral, pois pode aumentar a detecção de infiltração de MO em 21,4 por cento dos casos.

This retrospective study aims to analyze the usefulness of bilateral bone marrow biopsy in bone marrow infiltration by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Our objectives were to assess the incidence of unilateral BM involvement by DLBCL and compare fragment length obtained from positive and negative samples for infiltration. Furthermore, we compared the differences between unilateral and bilateral infiltration correlating with lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and computerized tomography (CT) staging. We evaluated 268 cases of DLBCL and observed medullary infiltration in 34 cases (13 percent). It was not possible to evaluate 6 out of 34 cases. 70 BM fragments were reviewed as to the presence or absence of infiltration and length. The mean number of fragments per case was 2.5; the mean BM fragment length was 11.01 mm (± 5.12 mm) and the mean BM fragment length per case was 27.53 mm. There was unilateral BM infiltration in six cases (21.4 percent). There were no differences in the mean fragment length as to the presence/absence of infiltration 10.95 mm (± 5.2 mm) versus 11.57 mm, p > 0.05, respectively. There were no differences in 23 cases between the comparison of unilateral medullary infiltration versus bilateral with lactic dehydrogenase and CT staging. We concluded that bilateral bone marrow biopsy was superior to unilateral because it may increase by 21.4 percent the detection of BM involvement by DLBCL.

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Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (H-RS) cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) present an impaired expression of immunoglobulin genes, but escape apoptotic death. We investigated whether nitric oxide synthases (NOS) are expressed by H-RS cells, studied their association with EBV status and the expression of apoptotic proteins, and investigated their relationship to the clinical outcome of 171 patients. NOS1 and NOS2 were expressed in a large number of cases, whereas NOS3 expression was not detected. Positive associations were found between NOS1 and p53, bax and NOS2, bcl-2 and NOS2, bax and p53, and between bax and fasL. Inverse correlations were established between EBV and NOS2 and between EBV and bcl-2. A shorter overall survival (OS) was associated with strong expression of NOS2. In conclusion, NOS are expressed by H-RS cells of cHL.

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CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: It is currently asserted that, in industrialized countries, nodular sclerosis is the most frequent type of Hodgkin's lymphoma, in contrast to developing countries, where mixed cellularity and lymphocyte depletion are more frequently seen. The objective was to review histological data from cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma from São Paulo and Campinas cities. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional histopathological analysis, in four university hospitals and one cancer care center. METHODS: 1,025 cases diagnosed as Hodgkin's lymphoma between 1990 and 2000 were collected from five institutions; 631 of them (61.5%) had been immunophenotyped using antibodies to CD20, CD3, CD15 and CD30. The relative frequencies of histological types (as informed by the contributing authors, who are hematopathologists in their institutions) were determined according to age and gender. RESULTS: The Hodgkin's lymphoma types were distributed as follows: lymphocyte predominance 4.8%, nodular sclerosis 69.2%, mixed cellularity 21.1% and lymphocyte depletion 4.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The controversy regarding the frequencies of Hodgkin's lymphoma types within the Brazilian setting seems to be due to the small number of cases in previous studies. The present data show a picture close to the situation in the industrialized countries.

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CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: Tem-se afirmado correntemente que, em países industrializados, a esclerose nodular é o tipo mais freqüente de linfoma de Hodgkin, ao contrário de países em desenvolvimento, onde a celularidade mista e a depleção linfocitária são mais freqüentes. O objetivo do estudo é rever os dados histológicos de linfoma de Hodgkin das cidades de São Paulo e Campinas. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Transversal, por análise histopatológica, em quatro hospitais universitários e um centro oncológico de referência. MÉTODOS: 1.025 casos com o diagnóstico de linfoma de Hodgkin entre 1990 e 2000 foram coletados de cinco instituições. Em 631 (61,5%) casos fora feito estudo imunoistoquímico para os marcadores CD20, CD3, CD15 e CD30. As freqüências relativas dos tipos histológicos (informadas pelos autores que são hematopatologistas de suas respectivas instituições) foram determinadas nos diversos grupos etários e por gênero. RESULTADOS: Os tipos de linfoma de Hodgkin foram assim distribuídos: predominância linfocitária 4,8%, esclerose nodular 69,2%, celularidade mista 21,1% e depleção linfocitária 4,6%. CONCLUSÕES: Dados controversos sobre a freqüência dos tipos de linfoma de Hodgkin em nosso meio parecem ser devidos ao pequeno número de casos dos trabalhos anteriores. Nossos dados são comparáveis aos dos países industrializados.

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Neste breve relato, cinco instituições brasileiras apresentam um estudoI Cristiano H. Lima Jr. de 1044 casos de pacientes com Linfoma de Hodgkin, sendo observado 2 como dado releuante apresença de uma curva unimodal de incidência Yara Menezes por idade nesta casuística.

In this brief report five Brazilian institutions present a study of 1044 Hodgbin's lymphoma patients. The aim was to study the presence of a unimodal curve of incidence in relation to age.

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