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Feline Large Granular Lymphocyte (LGL) Lymphoma with Secondary Leukemia: Primary Intestinal Origin with Predominance of a CD3/CD8 Phenotype

Dipartimento di Patologia Animale (PR, MC), Igiene e Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria–Sezione di Anatomia Patologica e Patologia Aviare Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology (WV, PFM), School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA

Clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic characteristics of large granular lymphocyte (LGL) neoplasia in 21 cats were examined. All cats were domestic short (19) or long hair (2) with a mean age of 9.3 years at diagnosis. Increased peripheral blood LGL counts were present in 18/21 cats. Neutrophilia (12/21 cats) and increased serum liver enzymes (7/12), total and direct bilirubin (7/13), BUN (5/14), and creatinine (2/14) were observed. Cats usually presented with advanced disease and none survived longer than 84 days (mean 18.8 days) postdiagnosis. Cytologically, LGLs had a mature (6/21), immature (13/21), or mixed (2/21) morphology. Necropsy lesions consisted of neoplastic lymphoid infiltrates in the jejunum, ileum, and duodenum in decreasing order of frequency. In the small intestine, mucosal ulceration (9/13) and epitheliotropism of neoplastic cells (9/13) were common. Neoplastic infiltrates were also present in the mesenteric lymph nodes (13/13), liver (12/13), spleen (8/13), kidneys (5/7), and bone marrow (5/7). A T cell phenotype (CD3+) characterized LGL neoplasia in 19/21 cases. A CD8+ cytotoxic/suppressor phenotype was present in 12/19 T cell tumors, 2 had a CD4+CD8 phenotype, 3 had a CD4-CD8- phenotype, and 2 were CD4+ helper T cells. CD8ß chain expression was not detected in any instance. In two cats, a B or T cell origin could not be established. CD103 was expressed by 11 of 19 (58%) of the lymphomas tested. The immunophenotypic features shared by neoplastic LGLs in the cat and feline intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) support a small intestinal IEL origin for feline LGL lymphoma.

Key words: Cats; CD3 antigen; CD8 antigen; CD103 antigen; immunohistochemistry; intestines, small; lymphocytes; lymphoma, large granular lymphocytic; leukemia, large granular lymphocytic.

Peter F Moore, Department of Pathology, Immunology and Microbiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616 (USA). E-mail: pfmoore{at}ucdavis.edu

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