Two unusual lymphomas. Case 2: pulmonary intravascular lymphomatosis

The Value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Diagnostic Procedure of Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma Presenting Fever of Unknown Origin and Pulmonary Hypertension as an Initial Manifestation

A 57-year-old man presented with fever of unknown origin and pulmonary hypertension. An F-FDG PET/CT scan was performed to evaluate the source of fever, which showed diffuse, homogeneously increased FDG uptake in both lungs, which prompted the transbronchial lung biopsy. The pathological examination from biopsy specimen demonstrated intravascular large B-cell lymphoma.

Pulmonary Intravascular Large B-cell Lymphoma (IVLBCL) Disguised as an Asthma Exacerbation in a Patient with Asthma

A 62-year-old man with asthma presented with a 1-month history of wheezing and exertional dyspnea. Although the wheezing symptoms disappeared after systemic corticosteroid therapy, the exertional dyspnea and hypoxemia did not improve. A diagnosis of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) with pulmonary involvement was suspected because of the increased serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) level, increased alveolar-arterial oxygen difference (AaDO₂), decreased pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (D_LCO) and scintigraphic, computed tomography (CT) and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)-CT findings. The patient was diagnosed as having IVLBCL with pulmonary involvement based on a pathological analysis of a random skin biopsy and a transbronchial lung biopsy. IVLBCL should be considered in patients with symptoms of asthma that are refractory to corticosteroid treatment.

Intravascular Large B Cell Lymphoma as a Rare Cause of Reversed Halo Sign: A Case Report

Intravascular large B cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare type of extranodal diffused large B-cell lymphoma. IVLBCL with primary lung lesion is very rare and it is very difficult to diagnose. Radiographic findings of pulmonary IVLBCL are nonspecific and resembling interstitial lung diseases. Reversed halo sign (RHS) was initially reported in patients diagnosed with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia and then described in a variety of diseases with inflammatory, infectious, autoimmune, and malignant causes. This is the first case of IVLBCL that has presented with RHSs on CT scan.A 59-year-old Chinese man presented with a 4-month history of a nonproductive cough and a weight loss of 5 kg. Physical examination was unremarkable. High-resolution computed tomography scan of the chest showed bilateral patchy ground glass opacities (GGOs) and RHSs. Laboratory tests were unremarkable except elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Surgical lung biopsy was performed. Light microscopic examination of the specimen disclosed diffuse alveolar septal widening caused by neoplastic lymphocytes, which were positive for CD20 and infiltrated in the alveolar capillaries. The patient was diagnosed with IVLBCL and underwent chemotherapy and autologous blood stem cell transplantation. The patient is still alive 5 years after diagnosis.IVLBCL is a rare cause of RHS and should be considered in differential diagnosis of RHS. An increased serum LDH concentration is another important clue.

A Case of Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma with Multiple Organ Involvement

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVL) is a rare systemic disease characterized by clonal proliferation of neoplastic lymphoid cells within the capillary lumina of small blood vessels. The most common sites of involvement are cerebrovascular or sinusoid areas, resulting in a wide variety of neurologic deficits. Herein we describe a case of IVL that presented with multiple internal and external organ involvements, including the skin, bilateral kidneys, and lung, and with an aggressive clinical course. The confirmative diagnosis was based on the microscopic findings of the skin lesion with a B-cell immunophenotype. The patient suffered from repeated severe dyspnea, hypoxemia, and high-grade fever with a simultaneous increase in serum lactate dehydrogenase and soluble IL-2 receptor levels. These manifestations responded dramatically to intravenous injection of corticosteroid (500 mg/day for 3 days). Despite various clinical presentations, no neurological abnormality was observed until the patient died 12 months after the initial combination chemotherapy.

Pulmonary intravascular lymphoma

Intravascular lymphoma (IVL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by proliferation of malignant lymphoid cells limited to the lumen of small vessels. Clinical manifestations are nonspecific and result from vascular obliteration and hypoxia. The disease affects primarily the skin and central nervous system, often associated with rapid systemic dissemination and aggressive clinical course if appropriate therapy is not initiated early. Involvement of the lungs, kidneys, adrenal glands, and prostate may occur. Primary pulmonary IVL is exceedingly rare. We describe a case of primary pulmonary IVL in an HIV-positive man presenting with nonspecific constitutional symptoms. High-resolution computed tomography demonstrated centrilobular nodules with ground-glass attenuation and peribronchial ground-glass opacities. The diagnosis was confirmed by thoracoscopic biopsy and histologic findings consisted of accumulation of malignant lymphocytes within alveolar capillaries, pulmonary veins, and peribronchial arterioles. Immunohistochemistry confirmed positivity for CD20, a marker for B lymphocytes. Combined systemic chemotherapy including rituximab was started and resulted in significant clinical and radiologic improvement with long-term disease-free survival.

Intravascular Lymphomatosis: A Study of 20 Cases in Thailand and a Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

According to the World Health Organization classification (2001), intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is characterized by the presence of lymphoma cells only in the lumina of small vessels. It has not been proven whether IVLBCL is a specific clinicopathologic entity. Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma and other intravascular lymphomatoses (IVLs), including IVL with B-cell phenotype and extravascular growth (B-IVL) and IVL with T-cell phenotype (T-IVL), were compared in a series of cases diagnosed at a single institution and in cases reported in the literature.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty cases of IVL diagnosed among 1826 consecutive cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL,1.1%) at Siriraj Hospital included 3 cases of IVLBCL, 14 cases of B-IVL, and 3 cases of T-IVL. In the literature, 102 cases of IVLBCL, 88 cases of B-IVL, and 18 cases of T-IVL were described in sufficient detail to be analyzed.

RESULTS

All 3 groups were quite similar in clinical manifestations and outcome. Contrary to the previous review of 79 cases of IVL in 1989, blood, marrow, and nodal involvement could be detected in approximately 30% of cases. Patients who received chemotherapy had better survival than patients without treatment (statistically significant in IVLBCL and B-IVL; P < 0.05). Cases with skin involvement had better survival than cases without skin involvement (statistically significantly in T-IVL; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that IVLBCL is not different from B-IVL or T-IVL in a biologic sense, and IVL seems to be better terminology than IVLBCL because it includes the T-cell phenotype that constitutes approximately 9% of cases. Early diagnosis is very important because chemotherapy significantly prolongs survival.