Abstract
A 24-year old male developed progressive and gangrenous lesions in the nasal cavity and of the palate.
Repeated biopsy revealed chronic granulomatous inflamation. On the basis of clinical features, we determined the pathology as reticulum cell sarcoma and gave him radiation therapy. A marked improvement of the local lesions resulted. The patient, however, died of remittent fever and general malaice. Autopsy revealed that most organs of the entire body were affected by malignant reticulosis. A careful review of the present case led us to the following conclusions.
1. When one treat a patient with a clinical manifestation of “rhinopathia gangrenosa progressiva”, diagnosis of the underlying disease should depend more upon the clinical features than upon biopsy.
2. Malignant reticulosis may be detected by a careful examination of blood cells. Re-examination of the blood cells taken before death of the present case revealed reticulum cells in the blood.
3. If reticulum cell sarcoma is suspected in “rhinopathia gangrenosa progressiva”, chemotherapy should be combined to radiation therapy.
