Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H Dosik.
Four patients with lymphosarcoma of the breast are reported. Three had involvement of some nodes at the time of diagnosis. Violaceous skin discoloration was observed in two patients. A review of the literature indicates that although many of these patients present with disease initially localized to the breast, dissemination eventually occurs.
Two patients with infectious mononucleosis who presented with severe thrombocytopenia at diagnosis are described. Anti-platelet antibody was demonstrated in one patient. Both responded well to a short course of prednisone therapy. These cases are of interest in view of their rarity and illustrate the need for screening patients who present with thrombocytopenia for infectious mononucleosis.
We present a case, identified by surveillance for adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), who had initial symptoms not specifically related to ATL, and who would not have been identified as having ATL otherwise. A 51-year-old Trinidadian black woman was hospitalized for abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Hematology and clinical chemistry revealed leukocytosis (19,600/mm3), an elevated lymphocyte percent (63%), and hypercalcemia (19.4 mg/dl). The patient was serologically confirmed with HTLV-I-associated ATL. Lymphoma was diagnosed at autopsy. This case is representative of ATL, which along with HTLV-I infection, may be emerging public health problems in urban communities of the northeast and southeast United States.