Diagnosis Dilemma of Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma in Tuberculosis Endemic Region

Abstract

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a rare hematologic malignancy recognized in the WHO 2016 classification as a clinical and histological entity. It is a very poorly described disease in Africa due to its rarity and diagnostic difficulties, particularly differential diagnosis with tuberculosis. Here, we report a 57-year-old man who presented with fever, weight loss, and lymphadenopathies. The diagnosis of tuberculosis was carried out based on lymph node fine needle aspiration showing the image of tuberculous adenitis and CT images in favor of necrotic lymphadenopathies. The presence of autoantibodies and the failure of tuberculosis treatment led us to perform a biopsy with immunostaining that confirmed pathological features of AITL. The patient was treated by CHOP-based chemotherapy, and complete remission was achieved. This case highlights the difficulty of recognizing AITL and the importance of considering other potential differential diagnoses of tuberculosis in the endemic region.