Intestinal T-cell Lymphoma with Massive Tissue and Blood Eosinophilia Mediated by IL-5

A case of enteropathy associated T-cell lymphoma (EATCL) in a 62-year-old female with a previous history of coeliac disease, complicated during the clinical course by massive blood and tissue eosinophilia is described. The patient’s serum contained a factor capable of stimulating the in vitro growth of eosinophilic colonies (CFU-Eo), that was absent in the serum of normal donors. We suggest that such factor was Interleukin-5 (IL-5). as indicated by the presence in the monoclonal tumor T cells of IL-5 encoding mRNA, usually absent in the normal enterocytes of the jejunum.