Early malignant histiocytosis of the intestine : an autopsy report

A 63-year-old man with malignant histiocytosis of the intestine died 3 days after gastrectomy for early gastric adenocarcinoma. Malignant histiocytosis of the intestine was unexpectedly found at autopsy. The intestine was thickened with mucosal erosions. Histologically, a few atypical large histiocyte-like cells were found in focal aggregates in the mucosa. These large cells expressed the T-cell antigen and monoclonality was demonstrated by the polymerase chain reaction showing variable-joining segment rearrangement in the T-cell receptor delta-chain gene. Malignant histiocytosis of the intestine was thus diagnosed.