Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Progressive transformation of germinal centres

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Progressive transformation of germinal centres

Synonyms
  
progressive transformation of germinal centers

Progressive transformation of germinal centres (PTGCs) is a reactive lymph node process of undetermined cause.

Contents

Signs and symptoms

PTGC is usually characterized by localized lymphadenopathy and is otherwise typically asymptomatic.

Diagnosis

PTGC is diagnosed by surgical excision of the affected lymph node(s), and examination by a pathologist. The differential diagnosis includes non-neoplastic causes of lymphadenopathy (e.g. cat-scratch fever, Kikuchi disease) and malignancy, i.e. cancer.

Microscopic appearance

PTGCs is characterized by:

  • follicular hyperplasia (many follicles),
  • focally large germinal centres, with poorly demarcated germinal centre (GC)/mantle zone interfaces (as GCs infiltrated by mantle zone lymphocytes), and
  • an expanded mantle zone.

    • Treatment

    PTGC is treated by excisional biopsy and follow-up. It may occasionally recur and in a small proportion of patients has been reported to subsequently develop Hodgkin lymphoma (usually nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma).

    References

    Progressive transformation of germinal centres Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA