Case Report - T- cell prolymphocytic leukemia - A rare case

T- cell Prolymhocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is a rare mature post-thymic T-cell malignancy that is usually reported in the elderly and follows an aggressive course. A 68 year old male presented with a history of weakness and weight loss of two months duration. Clinical examination revealed pallor, enlarged cervical and axillary lymph nodes and splenomegaly. He also had a maculo- papular skin rash. There was marked leucocytosis, anemia and thrombocytopenia (WBC 445 x10³/ml, Hb 8.5gm/dl, Platelet 25x10³/µl) with 60% prolymphocytes in the peripheral blood. Bone marrow was hypercellular with an excess of prolymphocytes. Flow cytometric analysis of the bone marrow showed positivity for CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5 and CD7.

T- PLL is a rare T cell disorder with characteristic clinical and laboratory features.Currently, no optimal treatment exists although there has been some success with 2′- deoxycoformycin or Campath-1H