As the name suggests, T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia is characterized by involvement of cytotoxic-T cells).
[4] In the French study, only 26% of patients were younger than 50 years which suggests that this disorder is associated with older age at diagnosis.
[7][8][9][10] Rheumatoid arthritis is commonly observed in people with T-LGLL, leading to a clinical presentation similar to Felty's syndrome.
[10][13][14][15] The neoplastic lymphocytes seen in this disease are large in size with azurophilic granules that contains proteins involved in cell lysis such as perforin and granzyme B.
A weekly dosage of Methotrexate (with or without daily Prednisone) may induce partial or complete response in some patients while others may require Cyclosporine or Cyclophosphamide.
[20] Experimental data suggests that treatment with calcitrol (the active form of vitamin D) may be useful in treating T-cell LGL due to its ability to decrease pro-inflammatory cytokines.
[citation needed] LGLL was discovered in 1985 by Thomas P. Loughran Jr. while working at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.