Etiology of neutrophilic granulocytic hypoplasia in a case of large granular lymphocytic leukemia with paraproteinemia.
The association between large granular lymphocytic leukemia (LGLL) and neutropenia is poorly understood. We attempted to assess whether neutropenia in LGLL with paraproteinemia has a different etiology than LGLL without paraproteinemia. We found neither direct serum inhibition of granulocyte/monocyte-colony forming units in vitro nor increased immunoglobulin binding to granulocytic neutrophils, neutrophil precursors, or granulocyte/monocyte-colony stimulating factor. Clonogenic assay experiments suggested that suppression of the patient's granulocyte/monocyte-colony forming units by the neoplastic T-cells and decreased granulocyte/monocyte-colony stimulating factor production contributed to the pathogenesis of neutropenia in this particular case.