gamma heavy-chain disease

Gamma heavy-chain disease (gHCD) is defined as a lymphoplasmacytic neoplasm that produces an abnormally truncated immunoglobulin gamma heavy-chain protein that lacks associated light chains.

gHCD is associated with a variety of underlying lymphoproliferative disorders but most often shows features that overlap with cases previously reported as "vaguely nodular, polymorphous" LPL.

The routine evaluation of small B-cell neoplasms with plasmacytic differentiation could represent a heavy-chain disease and give suggestions for an improved approach to the WHO classification of gHCD.

References

 Gamma Heavy-chain Disease: Defining the Spectrum of Associated Lymphoproliferative Disorders Through Analysis of 13 Cases. Bieliauskas S, Tubbs RR, Bacon CM, Eshoa C, Foucar K, Gibson SE, Kroft SH, Sohani AR, Swerdlow SH, Cook JR. Am J Surg Pathol. 2012 Apr;36(4):534-43. PMID: 22301495