Three types of T cell neoplasms were found and diagnosed as γδT cell lymphoma, hypergranular γδT cell lymphoma, and natural killer (NK)-like T cell lymphoma. The γδT cell lymphoma was characterized by positivity for CD3 and WC1, and a few perforin-positive granules were present in the cytoplasm of tumor cells. In some cases (epitheliotropic γδT cell lymphoma), neoplastic cells showed epitheliotropism in the skin, trachea, alimentary tract, urinary bladder, or uterus. Although there were numerous intracytoplasmic granules in lymphoma cells in the hypergranular γδT cell lymphoma, its immunophenotype was the same as that in the paucigranular γδT cell lymphoma. In addition, epitheliotropism was detected in the skin, mucosae of the alimentary tract, urinary bladder and uterus. The granules were positive for perforin but not for naphthol AS-D chloroacetate esterase (CAE). Intracytoplasmic granules were also present in the NK-like T cell lymphoma, but varied in size and number. The granules were positive for perforin and CAE, and WC1-positive lymphoma cells were absent. Thus, this lymphoma was clearly distinct from the hypergranular γδT cell lymphoma, and the current study disclosed the presence of at least two types of T cell lymphoma with a large granule lymphocyte morphology in cattle.
(Research Team for Environmental/Enzootic Diseases, Hokkaido Research Station, TEL +81-11-851-5226)
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