A 23-year-old, white male metallurgist presented with pruritic erythematous maculo-papules over the trunk and upper limbs and 6 months later developed erythroderma, eosinophilia and multi-organ dysfunction. A diagnosis of chronic eosinophilic leukaemia was made on the basis of myeloproliferative involvement of both peripheral blood and bone marrow, associated with eosinophilic differentiation and a t(5;12)(q33;p13) translocation. The initial therapeutic approach was interferon alfa-2b plus cytosine arabinoside, for 13 months, followed by hydroxyurea plus vincristine. There was improvement of skin lesions, disappearance of eosinophilia and decrease of serum immunoglobulin E, towards normal values.

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We report a case of CD8(+)/V beta 5.1(+) T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia (T-LGL leukemia) presenting with mild lymphocytosis, severe autoimmune neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, polyarthritis and recurrent infections with a chronic disease course. Immunophenotyping showed an expansion of CD3(+)/TCR alpha beta(+)/CD8(+bright)/CD11c(+)/CD57(-)/CD56(-) large granular lymphocytes with expression of the TCR-V beta 5.1 family. Southern blot analysis revealed a clonal rearrangement of the TCR beta-chain gene. Hematopoietic growth factors, high dose intravenous immunoglobulin and corticosteroids were of limited therapeutic benefit to correct the cytopenias. During the disease course, the patient developed a severe cutaneous leg ulcer and bilateral vascular mammary skin lesions. Treatment with 2-deoxycoformycin resulted in both clinical and hematological complete responses, including the resolution of vascular skin lesions. Combined immuno-staining with relevant T-cell associated and anti-TCR-V beta monoclonal antibodies proved to be a sensitive method to assess the therapeutic effect of 2-deoxycoformicin and to evaluate the residual disease.

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Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a common inherited hemolytic anemia due to red cell membrane defects. Extramedullary hematopoiesis is a compensatory response to insufficient bone marrow blood cell production. The preferred sites of extramedullary hematopoietic involvement are the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes, but in HS the posterior paravertebral mediastinum is also commonly involved. A nonsplenectomized 74-year-old man with mild HS, with primary deficiency in ankyrin, was found by magnetic resonance imaging to have thoracic paravertebral hematopoietic masses. The patient showed high serum levels of erythropoietin, which may have played a role in the development of extramedullary hematopoietic masses through a continuous hematopoietic stimulus to erythroid cells in the propositus. The long-standing history of respiratory infections and of hypoxia in the propositus may have been an additional etiological factor.