Progressive transformation of germinal centres
Medical condition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Progressive transformation of germinal centres (PTGCs) is a reactive lymph node process of undetermined cause.
| Progressive transformation of germinal centres | |
|---|---|
| Other names | progressive transformation of germinal centers |
| |
| Micrograph of a lymph node biopsy showing progressive transformation of germinal centres. H&E stain. | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
Signs and symptoms
PTGC is usually characterized by localized lymphadenopathy and is otherwise typically asymptomatic.
Diagnosis
PTGC is diagnosed by surgical excision of the affected lymph node(s), and examination by a pathologist. The differential diagnosis includes non-neoplastic causes of lymphadenopathy (e.g. cat-scratch fever, Kikuchi disease) and malignancy, i.e. cancer.
Microscopic appearance
PTGCs is characterized by:[1]
- follicular hyperplasia (many follicles),
- focally large germinal centres, with poorly demarcated germinal centre (GC)/mantle zone interfaces (as GCs infiltrated by mantle zone lymphocytes), and
- an expanded mantle zone.
Treatment
PTGC is treated by excisional biopsy and follow-up. It may occasionally recur and a small proportion of patients have been reported to subsequently develop nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma.[2][3]