T-Cell Lymphoma of the Tonsil with Ki-1 Antigen Expression

A 52-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a fever and swelling of the tonsils and lymph nodes. A tonsillectomy was performed and she was diagnosed as having non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of T-cell phenotype. Genotypic analysis revealed a rearrangement of the T-cell receptor gene, but not of the immunoglobulin genes. The neoplastic cells of the tonsils also expressed the Ki1 antigen. The clinical course was aggressive with peripheralization of the neoplastic cells, and the patient died of respiratory failure. (Internal Medicine 33: 456-159, 1994)