Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma with aberrant expression of serum β-HCG: A case report

Background: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) represent a heterogeneous group of hematologic malignancies frequently presenting at advanced stage of diagnosis.Methods: We report a case of PTCL with an uncommon and aggressive onset with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).Results: Laboratory findings revealed an aberrant expression of 13 subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-HCG). Other than for determination of pregnancy, beta-HCG is regularly found as a tumor marker in germ cell tumors with trophoblastic differentiation and its aberrant expression has been reported in the literature in other neoplastic conditions only in the context of case reports.Conclusions: In hematologic malignancies, beta-HCG expression has been described only in sporadic cases. Awareness of this feature could avoid diagnostic delay in such an aggressive disease.