Severe breathlessness, mouth ulcers and skin blistering in a female

Achievement of the longest survival of paraneoplastic pemphigus with bronchiolitis obliterans associated with follicular lymphoma using R-CHOP chemotherapy

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a rare, fatal, paraneoplastic autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering disease, commonly associated with lymphoproliferative disorders, including malignant lymphomas. Lymphoproliferative disorders associated with PNP are sometimes associated with a serious lung complication, bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). Due to its rarity, guidelines for the management of PNP have not been established. Furthermore, most patients die within 1 year. Here we report the successful treatment of lymphoma-associated PNP and BO using R-CHOP chemotherapy. A 53-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our hospital for severe erosive stomatitis. Computed tomography and positron emission tomography showed multiple lymphadenopathies. He was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma (Ann Arbor stage IVA) and PNP-related BO. The patient underwent six cycles of R-CHOP and an additional cycle of rituximab. Both the erosive stomatitis and the obstructive lung disease persisted, but complete response of the follicular lymphoma was achieved. The patient survived 27 months after diagnosis. Although he died from progressive respiratory failure due to BO, we note that this patient achieved the longest survival of any reported case of PNP-related BO associated with a lymphoproliferative disorder. The present case suggests that intensive immunochemotherapy for underlying lymphoma may improve the prognosis in patients with PNP-related BO associated with lymphoma.

[Para-neoplastic autoimmune multi-organ syndrome associated with follicular lymphoma: a case report and literature review]

Objective: To broaden our knowledge of para-neoplastic autoimmune multi-organ syndrome (PAMS). Methods: A patient with PAMS associated with follicular lymphoma and bronchiolitis obliterans treated in our hospital was retrospectively analyzed and the clinical features of PAMS were reviewed. Results: A 49-year-old female patient suffered from painful ulcers in the oral cavity and vagina, dry cough and dyspnea. Imaging examinations suggested multiple lymph node enlargements. Inguinal lymph node biopsy revealed follicular lymphoma. Although the oral and vaginal ulcers went into remission with glucocorticoid and thalidomide therapy and follicular lymphoma gained partial remission with six cycles of R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone) chemotherapy, respiratory failure still progressed. Conclusion: PAMS should be considered in patients with unexplained oral mucosa ulcers and dyspnea, which didn't match with the chest image manifestations. Extensive work-up should be performed to find out the potential tumor after diagnosis of PAMS. Early diagnosis and complete removal of tumor were essential to PAMS treatment.

Challenges in pulmonary fibrosis. 2: Bronchiolocentric fibrosis

Bronchiolocentric fibrosis is essentially represented by the pathological pattern of constrictive fibrotic bronchiolitis obliterans. The corresponding clinical condition (obliterative bronchiolitis) is characterised by dyspnoea, airflow obstruction at lung function testing and air trapping with characteristic mosaic features on expiratory high resolution CT scans. Bronchiolitis obliterans may result from many causes including acute diffuse bronchiolar damage after inhalation of toxic gases or fumes, alloimmune chronic processes after lung or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or connective tissue disease (especially rheumatoid arthritis). Airway-centred interstitial fibrosis and bronchiolar metaplasia are other features of bronchiolocentric fibrosis.