Thymoma and progressive T-cell lymphocytosis.

Abstract

Peripheral T-cell lymphocytosis is a condition rarely associated with malignant thymomas. When this occurs, a differential diagnosis should be carried out between ‘lymphocyte spillover’ from the thymus into the peripheral blood and an associated T-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia [1]. The etiology of this phenomenon is uncertain and may reflect the perturbation of systemic immunoregulation that accompanies some thymic neoplasia [2]. We describe a new case of a metastastic lymphocyte-rich thymoma and T-cell lymphocytosis not responding to antitumour therapy.