A 64-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of systemic body edema and a gait disturbance caused by muscle weakness. At the time of her admission, a complete blood count panel showed a white blood cell level of 10.1 × 109/L (85% neutrophils, 6% lymphocytes, 1.5% monocytes, 7.5% eosinophils) without abnormal lymphocytes, and anemia and thrombocytopenia were absent. Although the lactate dehydrogenase level was normal, the creatine phosphokinase level was elevated to 2546 U/L. A computed tomography scan revealed systemic edema, without lymph node swelling or hepatosplenomegaly. A high short-time inversion recovery signal was observed in almost all muscles on magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, antihuman T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) antibody was positive, and soluble interleukin 2 receptor was elevated to 28 300 U/mL. A muscle biopsy of the left biceps brachii showed abnormal lymphocytes invading and destroying the muscle tissue (panel A, hematoxylin and eosin [×400]). Most of these lymphocytes were CD4 and CCR4 positive (panel B, CCR4 staining [×400]), and integrated with the HTLV-I genome (panel C, PCR analysis for HTLV-1 pX region: 1, size marker; 2, positive control; 3, negative control; 4, this patient), and Tax positive (panel D, p40Tax staining [×400]).
This is a rare case of extensive and destructive invasion of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) cells into systemic muscular tissues, without the proliferation of ATLL cells in the peripheral blood and lymph nodes.
A 64-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of systemic body edema and a gait disturbance caused by muscle weakness. At the time of her admission, a complete blood count panel showed a white blood cell level of 10.1 × 109/L (85% neutrophils, 6% lymphocytes, 1.5% monocytes, 7.5% eosinophils) without abnormal lymphocytes, and anemia and thrombocytopenia were absent. Although the lactate dehydrogenase level was normal, the creatine phosphokinase level was elevated to 2546 U/L. A computed tomography scan revealed systemic edema, without lymph node swelling or hepatosplenomegaly. A high short-time inversion recovery signal was observed in almost all muscles on magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, antihuman T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) antibody was positive, and soluble interleukin 2 receptor was elevated to 28 300 U/mL. A muscle biopsy of the left biceps brachii showed abnormal lymphocytes invading and destroying the muscle tissue (panel A, hematoxylin and eosin [×400]). Most of these lymphocytes were CD4 and CCR4 positive (panel B, CCR4 staining [×400]), and integrated with the HTLV-I genome (panel C, PCR analysis for HTLV-1 pX region: 1, size marker; 2, positive control; 3, negative control; 4, this patient), and Tax positive (panel D, p40Tax staining [×400]).
This is a rare case of extensive and destructive invasion of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) cells into systemic muscular tissues, without the proliferation of ATLL cells in the peripheral blood and lymph nodes.
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![A 64-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of systemic body edema and a gait disturbance caused by muscle weakness. At the time of her admission, a complete blood count panel showed a white blood cell level of 10.1 × 109/L (85% neutrophils, 6% lymphocytes, 1.5% monocytes, 7.5% eosinophils) without abnormal lymphocytes, and anemia and thrombocytopenia were absent. Although the lactate dehydrogenase level was normal, the creatine phosphokinase level was elevated to 2546 U/L. A computed tomography scan revealed systemic edema, without lymph node swelling or hepatosplenomegaly. A high short-time inversion recovery signal was observed in almost all muscles on magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, antihuman T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) antibody was positive, and soluble interleukin 2 receptor was elevated to 28 300 U/mL. A muscle biopsy of the left biceps brachii showed abnormal lymphocytes invading and destroying the muscle tissue (panel A, hematoxylin and eosin [×400]). Most of these lymphocytes were CD4 and CCR4 positive (panel B, CCR4 staining [×400]), and integrated with the HTLV-I genome (panel C, PCR analysis for HTLV-1 pX region: 1, size marker; 2, positive control; 3, negative control; 4, this patient), and Tax positive (panel D, p40Tax staining [×400]). / This is a rare case of extensive and destructive invasion of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) cells into systemic muscular tissues, without the proliferation of ATLL cells in the peripheral blood and lymph nodes.](https://ash.silverchair-cdn.com/ash/content_public/journal/blood/124/10/10.1182_blood-2014-03-561001/4/m_1690f1.jpeg?Expires=1765902217&Signature=14VnRmv9midFRJyJ0m56IcYkNgg2dQjuQ9MR2ztWR5gIcJrV3chZntUBlF~wi-Ha1T2Fob0qQ9xkzH2aCDQTs9u4s2~GF7mLMUPbkJ66ICxv5G9AwK7qeqfXBQWin7dX5aQC8l1Wrp5dSxrWsRU6nnuo9k2h4CjVqBYMANhVVtw8ln8-bGRYyp-oomQW3q2EHCoWSRqdKJ0hn1gm6r-qX5OUzM6YAfXiMqJyhaJBJZUATZ0LvpZJYa5UYheFZGQbvNORnf973haKqCCbd2dE6ZcdlbjIu8tsLR0A8bwAcDvDjjz7CiNl7VjQlp9jpXzvXeK4upJ949i2FNNPlhdeXg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIE5G5CRDK6RD3PGA)
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