The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the most common extranodal site of occurrence of non-Hodgkin
lymphomas. Most GI
lymphomas are of B-cell lineage, while
T-cell lymphomas are less frequent. The aim of our retrospective study was to depict the clinical-pathological profile of a series of patients affected by intestinal
T-cell lymphomas (
ITCL) and possibly define hallmarks of these
neoplasms. A total of 28 patients were included: 17
enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphomas (EATL), 5 monomorphic epitheliotropic
T-cell lymphomas (MEITL), 3 indolent T-cell
lymphoproliferative disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (ITCLDGT), and 3 intestinal
T-cell lymphomas not otherwise specified (
ITCL-NOS).
Celiac disease (CD) was diagnosed in around 70% of cases. Diagnosis of EATL showed a significant correlation with CD30 expression, whereas MEITL with angiotropism and CD56 positivity. ITCLDGT cases showed plasma cells infiltration. Peripheral
lymphocytosis, the absence of a previous diagnosis of CD, an advanced Lugano clinical stage, and the histological subtype
ITCL-NOS were significantly associated with worse survival at multivariate analysis. Our findings about the epidemiological, clinical, and histopathological features of
ITCL were in line with the current knowledge. Reliable prognostic tools for these
neoplasms are still lacking but according to our results
lymphocytosis, diagnosis of CD, Lugano clinical stage, and histological subtype should be considered for patient stratification.