Primary manifestation of Hodgkin's disease in the central nervous system

• Published in: Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology 1998-05, Vol.432 (5), p.477-481
• Main Authors: DECKERT-SCHLÜTER, M, MAREK, J, SETLIK, M, MARKOVA, J, PAKOS, E, FISCHER, R, WIESTLER, O. D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Apoptosis; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Neoplasms - diagnosis; Brain Neoplasms - metabolism; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Hodgkin Disease - diagnosis; Hodgkin Disease - metabolism; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Ki-1 Antigen - metabolism; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Lymphoma, B-Cell - metabolism; Lymphoma, B-Cell - pathology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mediastinal Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Mediastinal Neoplasms - pathology; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 - metabolism; Radiography; Reed-Sternberg Cells - pathology
• ISSN: 0945-6317; 1432-2307
• DOI: 10.1007/s004280050195

A 62-year-old woman presented with loss of memory and a mild hemiparesis. Neuroradiology demonstrated a left frontoparietal tumour. Biopsy specimens of this lesion revealed intracerebral Hodgkin's lymphoma, a diagnosis supported by immunohistochemical reactions of the tumour cells for the CD30 antigen. Additional cell cycle studies revealed a high proliferative activity of the tumour cells in association with absence of apoptosis. There was no evidence that overexpression of bcl-2 or Epstein-Barr virus infection was involved in the pathogenesis of this neoplasm. Lymphomas in the lung were detected 3 months later. Following neurosurgical excision, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the patient had no evidence of Hodgkin's disease after 13 months of follow-up.