Case report

Ocular pathology of uncommon hematologic malignancies: a case series

James E Head^1,2 , Defen Shen¹ , Maribel Santiago-Maysonet¹ , Rachel J Bishop³ and Chi-Chao Chan¹

¹  Immunopathology Section, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

²  Clinical Research Training Program, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

³  Consult Services Section National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Medical Case Reports 2007, 1:158doi:10.1186/1752-1947-1-158

Published:	28 November 2007

Abstract

Introduction

In general, ocular complications of hematologic malignancies such as leukemia are well documented. However, reports of ocular involvement in such diseases as lymphomatoid granulomatosis and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia are uncommon. Here we present cases of these two relatively rare hematologic malignancies demonstrating clinical and subclinical ocular involvement.

Case Presentation

In the first case, a 54-year-old man with a previous diagnosis of lymphomatoid granulomatosis presented with a new-onset conjunctival lesion while his systemic disease was thought to be in remission. A biopsy was taken that revealed heavy infiltrates of B and T cells at the site of the lesion. Molecular analysis confirmed that these cells were positive for both Epstein-Barr viral DNA and immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement, consistent with a manifestation of his systemic disease. In the second case, a 51-year-old man with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia died after a waxing and waning clinical course. Post-mortem studies revealed the presence of atypical monocytes in the choroidal and subretinal spaces, consistent with his previous diagnosis.

Conclusion

While ocular involvement in hematologic malignancies is not uncommon, these two cases describe involvement of the eye by two relatively rare neoplasms. We herein emphasize novel findings in each case, including conjunctival involvement as the first sign of recurrent lymphomatoid granulomatosis and the combination of subretinal and choroidal myelomonocytic leukemic infiltration. With the evolution of new antineoplastic therapies that may prolong life, these cases exemplify the importance of eye care in patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies.