Clinical Implication of Florid Reactive Follicular Hyperplasia in Japanese Patients 60 Years or Older: A Study of 46 Cases

Abstract

Florid reactive follicular hyperplasia (FRFH) of the enlarged lymph node in middle-aged or elderly patients requiring biopsy is a relatively uncommon phenomenon as compared with that in younger age groups. Between 1984 and January 2004, we encountered 46 patients, aged 60 years or older, in whom histology of biopsied lymph node specimens showed inappropriate FRFH for the patient’s age. An apparent cause of lymphadenopathy was initially identified in 17 cases (37%): 11 with autoimmune disease and related disorders, 3 with cancer-reactive lymphadenopathy, 2 with Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymph node lesion exhibiting transient autoimmune-disease-like clinical findings, and 1 with atypical mycobacterial infection. Among 29 patients without specific etiology, 16 patients (55%) exhibited histologic findings of progressive transformed germinal center (PTGC). Only 1 of our patients developed malignant lymphoma during the follow-up period. The present study indicates that PTGC is included in the etiology of FRFH in elderly Japanese patients as well as imbalance of the immune system such as autoimmune-disease-associated lymphadenopathy and idiopathic plasmacytic lymphadenopathy with polyclonal hyperimmunoglobulinemia. By in situ hybridization, Epstein-Barr virus genomes were demonstrated in only 6 (15%) of 39 cases examined.