Cure of intravascular NK/T-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

Long-term remission in a patient with NK/T cell intravascular lymphoma with autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation

Intravascular lymphoma (IVL) is a rare subtype of lymphoma, mostly of B-cell origin. A few cases of IVL have been reported as having NK/T cell origins (IVNKTL). These cases are known to be fatal, especially when systemic symptoms are present. We report the case of a patient of IVNKTL who was refractory to initial treatment and received autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT). She has maintained complete remission (CR) for over eight years. Our case might support the evidence of auto-HSCT for the treatment of IVNKTL with chemosensitivity.

Cutaneous Intravascular Hematolymphoid Entities: A Review

Intravascular lymphomas are rare disease conditions that exhibit neoplastic lymphoid cells that are confined mainly to the lumens of small capillaries and medium-sized vessels. The majority of the intravascular lymphomas are of B-cell origin, but they can include NK/T-cell and CD30+ immunophenotypes. In the histologic differential diagnosis are benign proliferations such as intralymphatic histiocytosis and intravascular atypical CD30+ T-cell proliferation. In this review, we discuss the clinical, histopathologic, and molecular findings of intravascular B-cell lymphoma, intravascular NK/T-cell lymphoma, intralymphatic histiocytosis, and benign atypical intravascular CD30+ T-cell proliferation.

Intravascular NK/T-cell lymphoma: a case report and literature review

Intravascular lymphoma is characterized by an exclusively intravascular distribution of tumor cells. Intravascular natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (IVNKTL) is extremely rare, highly aggressive, commonly Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive, and predominantly affects the skin and central nervous system. Here we report a case of IVNKTL diagnosed in a 67-year-old female, presenting with persistent intermittent fever and skin rashes throughout the body. Incisional biopsy of an erythematous lesion on the chest exhibited aggregation of medium to large-sized atypical lymphoid cells confined to the lumen of small vessels that were positive for CD3, granzyme B, and CD56 on immunohistochemistry and EBV-encoded RNA in situ hybridization. EBV DNA was also detected in serum after diagnosis. With a review of 26 cases of IVNKTL to date, we suggest that active biopsy based on EBV DNA detection may facilitate early diagnosis of IVNKTL.