Multiple Tumors in a Patient with Interleukin-2-Inducible T-Cell Kinase Deficiency: A Case Report

Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Dec 7;25(23):13181. doi: 10.3390/ijms252313181.

Abstract

Immune dysregulation in Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) shows a broad phenotype, including autoimmune disorders, benign lymphoproliferation, and malignancies, driven by an increasing number of implicated genes. Recent findings suggest that childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) may exhibit immunological abnormalities potentially linked to an underlying IEI, along with a well-known increased risk of subsequent malignancies due to prior cancer treatments. We describe a patient with two composite heterozygous pathogenic variants in the interleukin-2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK) gene and a history of multiple tumors, including recurrent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related nodular sclerosis and Hodgkin's lymphoma (NSHL), associated with unresponsive multiple hand warts, immune thrombocytopenia, and an impaired immunological profile (CD4+ lymphocytopenia, memory B-cell deficiency, reduction in regulatory T-cells, and B-cell- and T-cell-activated profiles). In our case, ITK-related immune dysregulation and prior exposure to oncological treatments seem to have simultaneously intervened in the same individual, leading to the development of a unique clinical profile. It is essential to raise awareness of the two-way association between immune dysregulation disorders and multiple tumors.

Keywords: ITK deficiency; case report; childhood cancer survivors (CCS); inborn error of immunity (IEI); multiple tumors.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / complications
  • Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / genetics
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / genetics
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / immunology
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases* / deficiency
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases* / genetics

Substances

  • emt protein-tyrosine kinase
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases