Gamma heavy chain disease associated with Hodgkin's disease. Clinical, pathologic, and immunologic features of one case

This report describes the clinical, pathologic, and immunologic features of a patient with γ heavy chain disease (γ-HCD) associated with Hodgkin's disease (HD). The diagnosis of γ-HCD was established by serum electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis and confirmed by biochemical analysis of patient's serum showing the presence of an incomplete γ chain, with an approximate molecular weight of 40 kilodaltons. The diagnosis of HD rested upon the presence of systemic lymphadenopathy, the typical histologic pattern and reactivity of Reed-Sternberg cells with the LeuM1-CD15 monoclonal antibody. The two diseases developed independently, in the absence of any immunosuppressive treatment. Furthermore, there was some evidence suggesting that HD tissue was not responsible for the production of the incomplete γ chain. This and similar cases may provide a model for a better understanding of the events leading to the simultaneous outgrowth of two lymphoid neoplasias in the same patient.