Hodgkin's disease type Richter's syndrome in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Second Malignancies and Richter's Syndrome in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Second malignancies are frequent complications in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patients with this leukemia may develop large cell lymphoma (LCL) known as Richter's syndrome (RS). RS occurs in CLL patients of about 3% and may develop in a single lymph node or more often in a group of nodes. However, in some patients extranodal localization of aggressive lymphoma in RS has been observed. Besides LCL, Hodgkin's disease, prolymphocytoid leukemia, multiple myeloma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia may also occur as RS variants. The origin of lymphoid cells in RS remains tentative. However, CLL and RS originate from the same clone for some patients, whereas, in other patients cells of aggressive lymphoma do not have the features of the same clone as the CLL cells. The prognosis of RS is poor. Survival in different studies will be usually 2-5 months. The secondary development or coexistence of myeloproliferative disorders or myelodysplastic syndrome and solid tumors have also been rarely documented in CLL patients. It is of great concern that therapy may further increase the risk of a second neoplasm. However, until now, there are no clear evidence that alkylating agents or purine nucleoside analogs may be associated with an increased incidence of second malignancies in patients with CLL. In this review, epidemiology, biology, clinical characteristic and treatment approaches in RS and other secondary neoplasms in patients with CLL are discussed.

Richter's syndrome in colon: case report

INTRODUCTION

The development of diffuse large B cell lymphoma during the course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia is known as Richter's syndrome, considered as one of the most serious complications of this disease. It occurs mainly in lymphoid tissues and organs, for which extranodal involvement--especially in the gastrointestinal tract--is not common.

CONCLUSION

We describe here the case of a 61-year-old patient with lower gastrointestinal bleeding caused by colonic involvement of the syndrome.

Hodgkin transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

BACKGROUND

Hodgkin transformation is a rare complication of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). In this study, the authors assessed the incidence, presenting characteristics, and outcomes of patients with CLL/SLL who developed Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).

METHODS

An electronic database search of patients with CLL/SLL who presented at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Department of Leukemia between 1975 and 2005 was performed.

RESULTS

Among 4121 patients with CLL/SLL, 18 patients (0.4%) developed HL. Presenting features included B-symptoms (67%), lymph node enlargement (79%), splenomegaly (43%), hepatomegaly (29%), hypercalcemia (6%), infection (6%), and mental status changes (6%). The median age was 72 years (range, 49-81 years), and there was a male preponderance (78%). The median time from CLL to HL diagnosis was 4.6 years (range, 0-12.9 years). Fourteen patients (78%) had been previously treated for CLL/SLL. Ten patients (56%) had received >1 prior therapy. The median beta2-microglobulin level was 4.5 mg/L, and the median lactate dehydrogenase level was 610 IU/L. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was positive by in situ hybridization for EBV-encoded RNA in 3 of 4 tested patients. Fourteen patients (78%) received chemotherapy. The overall response rate was 44% (complete response rate, 19%). The median overall survival duration was 0.8 years (range, 0.03 years-6.7+ years). The median failure-free survival (FFS) duration was 0.4 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The rates of response, survival, and FFS in patients with Hodgkin transformation of CLL/SLL were inferior to those reported in patients with de novo HL and were similar to those in patients with Richter syndrome.

Richter syndrome: biology, incidence, and therapeutic strategies

Richter's transformation denotes the development of high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma, prolymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin disease, or acute leukemia in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma. A search of published articles in Medline (PubMed) and abstracts from professional meetings was performed. An electronic database search of patients with CLL at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) determined the incidence of Richter syndrome (RS) in patients with CLL between 1992 and 2002. RS occurs in approximately 5% of patients with CLL. The large cells of RS may arise through transformation of the original CLL clone or represent a new neoplasm. RS may be triggered by viral infections, such as Epstein-Barr virus. Trisomy 12 and chromosome 11 abnormalities are more frequent in patients with RS than in the overall population of patients with CLL. Multiple genetic defects, such as mutations of the p53 tumor suppressor gene, p16INK4A, and p21, loss of p27 expression, deletion of retinoblastoma, increased copy number of C-MYC, and decreased expression of the A-MYB gene, have been described. These abnormalities may cause CLL cells to proliferate and-by facilitating the acquisition of new genetic abnormalities-to transform into RS cells. Therapeutic strategies include intensive chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, and stem cell transplantation. The response rates range from 5% to 43% (complete response, 5-38%), and the median survival duration ranges from 5 months to 8 months. In conclusion, RS may be triggered by viral infections or by genetic defects. Current treatments are aggressive, but prognosis is poor. Novel curative treatment strategies are needed.

Hodgkin's type of Richter's syndrome in familial chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with cladribine and cyclophosphamide

Second malignancies are frequent complications in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Hodgkin's disease (HD) has been observed in approximately 0.5% of the patients with CLL and is known as Hodgkin's type Richter's syndrome (H-RS). We present a 64-year-old male patient with a familial history of CLL who developed H-RS in abdominal lymph nodes 6 years after CLL diagnosis and 18 months after treatment with cladribine (2-CdA) and cyclophosphamide. HD was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration. The disease was refractory to treatment with two courses of CHOP and three courses of ABVD chemotherapy. In the current literature we found case reports of only 6 patients with H-RS who were treated with fludarabine (FA) before transformation, and, to our knowledge the presented patient is the first to develop H-RS after treatment with 2-CdA combined with cyclophosphamide. He is also the first published patient with familial CLL in whom this complication developed.

Partially successful treatment of a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Hodgkin's disease: case report and literature review

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is rarely associated with Hodgkin's disease (HD). We report a case of nodular sclerosis HD in a patient previously diagnosed with CLL. Reed-Sternberg cells were CD15(+) and CD30(+). He was treated with dose-escalated CHOP and at relapse, mitoxantrone, vinblastine, and CCNU (MVC) with partial response to the former and complete response to the latter, although the patient died 15 months later. Data from 88 other similar cases published in the English language were analyzed. Based on the histological and clinical features at the time of transformation, these patients were divided into distinct categories for analysis. Prognosis was found to be poorer in patients with continued active CLL when compared with those with CLL in remission at the time of transformation to HD. It is suggested that these two presentations may derive from different pathogenic mechanisms.

Sequential development of Hodgkin's disease and CD30+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in a patient with MALT-type lymphoma: evidence of different clonal origin of single microdissected Reed-Sternberg cells

We observed in the same patient the development of a tonsil mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type lymphoma in 1994, a mediastinal Hodgkin's disease in 1998, and a colonic CD30+ anaplastic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in 2000. A same-sized FR3-JH fragment was demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction, both at the level of total DNA and of single micromanipulated cells, showing monocytoid, Reed-Sternberg, or anaplastic morphology. Moreover, an identical IgH nucleotide sequence was detected in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type lymphoma and colonic CD30+ anaplastic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, whereas mediastinal Hodgkin's disease IgH rearrangement involved different VH and JH genes. CD30+ Reed-Sternberg and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells contained Epstein-Barr virus EBER sequences that were not observed at the level of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type lymphoma. Therefore, Epstein-Barr virus infection may have played a role in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma transformation of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type lymphoma and in the lymphomagenesis of Hodgkin's disease. In addition to their different clonal origin, Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's disease expressed a CD15+, CD20+ (rare cells), CD30+, Oct-2-, EBNA2-, LMP1+ phenotype, whereas anaplastic and Reed-Sternberg-like cells of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were CD15-, CD20+, CD30+, Oct-2+, EBNA2+, and LMP1+. Interestingly, we also detected scattered CD30+ Epstein-Barr virus- large cells with prominent nucleoli in the initial tonsil mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type lymphoma, suggesting that these cells could be prone to Epstein-Barr virus infection and/or large cell transformation.