2002 Volume 48 Issue 6 Pages 310-313
We encountered a 48-year-old man with a suspected diagnosis of T-cell lymphoma associated with extensive mucosal necrosis of the palate. Definitive diagnosis was very difficult. Histopathological examination revealed infiltration of vascular tissue by tumor cells and severe necrotic changes. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that most of the tumor cells were CD45-RO-positive, CD 3-positive, CD56-negative, and CD20-negative. In situ hybridization did not reveal any Epstein-Barr (EB) virus mRNA. Furthermore, the EB virus gene was notidentifiable on polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Based on these findings, the patient was given a diagnosis of suspected T-cell lymphoma of the palate not associated with the EB virus.
