Relapse of central nervous system Burkitt's lymphoma presenting as Guillain-Barre syndrome and syndrome of inappropriate ADH secretion

Natural killer/T-cell lymphoma with concomitant syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion: A case report and review of literature

We report a case of natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma with concomitant syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). The patient was a 64-year-old woman with a history of nasopharyngeal carcinoma of over 30 years. She was admitted with a chief complaint of intermittent fever for 2 mo. Palpation after admission indicated a swollen lymph node below the left jaw. Multiple imaging examinations on admission indicated multiple enlarged lymph nodes throughout the body. We performed a left submandibular lymph node biopsy, and the results revealed NK/T-cell lymphoma. A biochemical examination indicated Epstein-Barr virus positivity. At the same time, the patient developed hyponatremia. Based on her laboratory examination and clinical manifestation, decreased plasma osmolality, urine osmolality greater than plasma osmolality, lack of skin swelling, normal blood pressure, normal renal function, no adrenal function detected on serology, and no abnormalities in imaging examination of the adrenal glands, the likelihood of SIADH in the patient was high. After fluid restriction and administration of sodium chloride, the patient’s blood sodium level gradually increased. Subsequently, the immune function of the patient declined, there were severe symptoms of infection, and she died of respiratory failure. NK/T-cell lymphoma associated with SIADH has not, to our knowledge, been previously reported in PubMed. This case emphasizes the importance of monitoring serum ion levels, especially serum sodium, in patients with NK/T-cell lymphoma.

Acute demyelinating neuropathy in a patient with neurolymphomatosis

Peripheral neurological complications of lymphomas are rare and much less frequent than central complications. Nonetheless, on occasion, systemic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may directly infiltrate the peripheral nervous system at various levels. This report describes a man with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and leptomeningeal disease who developed progressive areflexic quadraparesis. Initial electromyography (EMG) was consistent with a polyradiculopathy and a repeat EMG performed 1 month later for worsening symptoms showed evidence of demyelination. The patient expired due to systemic complications of his illness. Autopsy of the sural nerve showed moderately severe distal sensory axonal loss, direct infiltration of the brachial plexus by malignant lymphocytes and demyelination in brachial and lumbar plexus, most prominent in areas of neoplastic infiltration. Based on this patient's course and pathology, we suggest that widespread demyelination may accompany neurolymphomatosis and the clinical presentation may be indistinguishable from an acute demyelinating neuropathy.

Lymphoma-associated dysimmune polyneuropathies

Lymphoma consists of a variety of malignancies of lymphocyte origin. A spectrum of clinical peripheral neuropathy syndromes with different disease mechanisms occurs in about 5% of lymphoma patients. There exists a complex inter-relationship between lymphoproliferative malignancies and autoimmunity. An imbalance in the regulation of the immune system presumably underlies various immune-mediated neuropathies in patients with lymphoma. This article reviews lymphoma and more-or-less well-defined dysimmune neuropathy subgroups that are caused by humoral and/or cell-mediated immune disease mechanisms directed against known or undetermined peripheral nerve antigens.

Guillain-Barre syndrome in a patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and rituximab maintenance therapy. An association beyound anecdotal evidence?

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes constitute an unusual manifestation of cancer. The objective of this case report is to debate the association between rituximab therapy and Guillain-Barre syndrome. We present the case of a 57 years old patient, with diffuse large-B cell lymphoma in complete remission, who consulted our hospital because of symmetric lower extremity weakness, developed while being treated with a rituximab maintenance schedule. Our main conclusion is that plasma cell dysregulation due to rituximab should be clarified in future studies.

Lymphoma and peripheral neuropathy: a clinical review

Lymphoma occasionally affects the peripheral nervous system. When it does, the diagnosis can be elusive since many patients present without known lymphoma. Most peripheral nerve complications are due to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), which infiltrates nerves causing axonal damage. This disorder can affect nerve roots and cranial nerves, often associated with lymphomatous meningitis. NHL may also infiltrate peripheral nerves and cause plexopathy, mononeuropathy, or generalized neuropathy. These neuropathies may resemble an asymmetric mononeuropathy multiplex or a generalized disorder such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. When NHL infiltrates diffusely, the term neurolymphomatosis is used. Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), by contrast, rarely infiltrates nerves. More often, HL causes immunological disorders of the peripheral nervous system such as inflammatory plexopathy or Guillain-Barré syndrome. Other rare lymphomas such as intravascular lymphoma and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia can also affect peripheral nerves in specific ways. In addition, other malignant and nonmalignant lymphoproliferative disorders enter into the differential diagnosis of lymphomatous neuropathy. This review discusses the multiple peripheral nerve presentations of lymphoma from the clinician's point of view and provides a guide to the evaluation and diagnosis of these uncommon, challenging disorders.