Remission of giant lymph node hyperplasia with anemia after radiotherapy.

We have described a 51-year-old patient with unresectable mesenteric giant lymph node hyperplasia of the plasma cell type, severe systemic manifestations, and profound anemia. Supression of erythropoiesis may have been related to the presence of a circulating erythropoietic inhibitor produced by the lymphoid tumor. Markedly elevated titers to Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen suggest that this virus may be important in the etiology of the abnormal lymphoid proliferation. The marked clinical response and decrease in the size of the tumor following irradiation suggests that radiation therapy may be an alternative form of treatment for similar patients with unresectable lesions.