We report four new cases of natural killer-cell enteropathy (NKCE) and similar lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs), as well as review the literature concerning indolent natural killer (NK)-cell LPDs of the gastrointestinal tract.
Pathologic and clinical data were obtained from institutional/referral records.
Patient 1 (45-year-old man) had anemia; a small intestinal lesion was endoscopically biopsied. Patient 2 (65-year-old woman) had biliary colic, treated with cholecystectomy. Patient 3 (62-year-old man) had a small colonic polyp, biopsied on routine colonoscopy. Patient 4 (68-year-old man) had presumed Crohn disease; multiple biopsies were performed over more than 10 years. Diagnostic specimens showed atypical infiltrates of Epstein-Barr virus-negative lymphocytes with immunophenotypes suggestive of NK cells. In all cases, there was distortion of glandular architecture but no marked intraepithelial lymphocytosis or necrosis. The patients did not receive therapy for lymphoma and were well on follow-up.
These cases support the indolent nature of NKCE and similar LPDs, and they indicate that involvement outside the alimentary canal may occur.