A Case of So-Called Neoplastic Angioendotheliosis with Fever of Unknown Origin and Temporary Loss of Consciousness

Abstract

A 65-year-old man was hospitalized with prolonged fever. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 62 mm/hour and the c-reactive protein was 5+. Serum lactic dehydrogenase was 1005 IU with elevation of isozyme types II and III. A computerized tomography scan of the abdomen showed large, bilateral adrenal masses. An aspirated specimen of the bone marrow revealed some clustered atypical cells. These findings suggested the patient had metastatic carcinoma, but the primary lesion could not be found. The patient had an episode of transient unconsciousness in mid course and died of bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract.
A postmortem examination was performed. Microscopic examination showed an accumulation of neoplastic cells in the vascular system throughout the body and their extravascular proliferation in several organs. Immunohistochemical studies were performed on paraffin-embedded fixed tissues. The neoplastic cells were positive with the monoclonal antibodies LCA, LN 1, LN 2 and N 26 but did not show positive staining for factor VIII-related antigen, a marker for endothelial cells. These studies defined the neoplastic cells as being of a germinal-center B lymphocyte origin. On the basis of the above-mentioned results, we suggest that this case may be diagnosed as angiotrophic lymphoma.