Pregnancy-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma of the breast: a rare mimic of ductal carcinoma

Primary Lymphomas of the Breast: A Review

Lymphomas of the breast are rare neoplasms that arise from breast lymphoid tissue and are characterised by neoplastic B or T cells. Breast lymphomas arising from B cells include, but are not limited to, diffuse large B cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, extra-nodal marginal zone lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is of a T cell origin and both anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive and ALK-negative presentations have been noted in the breast. In addition, there is a more recently identified presentation of ALK-negative ALCL that arises around textured breast implants and is usually confined to a periprosthetic fibrous capsule. Here, we discuss the clinical presentations, histological and immunohistochemical features and treatment options for each type of primary breast lymphoma. We hope that this review will highlight the importance of the timely and accurate diagnosis of breast lymphoma in order to tailor the most appropriate treatment. We also wish to raise awareness of the breast implant-associated lymphomas, with the goal of stimulating work that will aid our understanding of their epidemiology and pathogenesis.

The management of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma in the setting of pregnancy: seeking for clinical practice guidelines

Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a recently described form of T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma now formally recognized by the World Health Organization classification of lymphoid neoplasms. The aim of this paper is to report the first case of BIA-ALCL diagnosed in a pregnant patient. It is well known that BIA-ALCL appears as an indolent lymphoma with a good prognosis when diag-nosed at early stages and clinical guidelines for its management have been clearly published. Nevertheless, they lack a standardized approach for BIA-ALCL during pregnancy. With limited experience in our case, treatment has been safely postponed after term without affecting patient’s overall prognosis and without fetal complication. The fact that the disease was diagnosed at an early stage (stage I) undoubtedly influenced the course of treatment. A multidisciplinary approach weighing the risks and benefits of treatment is of paramount importance in order to ensure the best possible outcome for both the mother and her child and clinical update guidelines should be issued.

ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the thoracic spine occurring in pregnancy: A case report

BACKGROUND

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). ALCL is rare as a bone lesion and in pregnancy.

CASE SUMMARY

We present the first case of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)⁺ ALCL of the thoracic spine during pregnancy. A 25-year-old pregnant woman was presented to us at 24 wk’ gestation with severe back pain and weakness in the left lower limb. Imaging examination showed lesions at T10 and T11. She underwent posterior pedicle screw fixation and vertebroplasty. Pathological examination showed ALK⁺ ALCL. The patient chose to have therapeutic abortion after surgery and received chemotherapy in the hematology department. She now remains disease free with no neurological deficit after 30 mo’ follow-up.

CONCLUSION

ALK⁺ ALCL with the thoracic spine involvement is uncommon, especially in pregnancy. Many symptoms can be misunderstood during pregnancy; therefore, when a pregnant patient has persistent back pain or lower limb neurological symptoms, imaging examinations should be performed.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma in a pregnant Filipino woman successfully treated with prepartum and postpartum chemotherapy

Diagnosis of a malignancy during pregnancy presents a dilemma regarding the work-up and treatment of the patient. This report presents a 42-year-old woman on her 23rd week of pregnancy with multiple enlarging fungating violaceous skin masses. Biopsy of the dominant mass revealed anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Due to the progressive enlargement and increase in number of the masses, the patient was given two cycles of chemotherapy (doxorubicin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide and prednisone) before delivering a live baby boy via spontaneous vaginal delivery, Apgar 9.9, at 37 4/7 weeks. After delivery, she completed four more cycles of treatment. A full-body positron emission tomography scan done 2 months after the last chemotherapy showed no evidence of disease. The patient is doing well with no evidence of disease 9 months after treatment. Her baby is thriving and has no gross deformities and no developmental delays.

Fulminant puerperal sepsis due to anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) with therapy-refractory cerebral edema

INTRODUCTION

Lymphoma is among the five most frequent malignancies during pregnancy while anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) is rare, accounting only for 2-3 % of all adult-onset non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

CASE REPORT

A 23-year-old gravida 1, para 1 presented with puerperal mastitis and septicemia following secondary cesarean section. Mastitis had been present for a week prior to delivery. A CT scan for further diagnostics revealed numerous prominent lymph nodes. Cerebrospinal fluid testing, bone marrow and lymph node biopsy confirmed diagnosis of ALCL. Systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy was initiated, stabilizing the patient's clinical situation. 30 days postpartum (pp.), a cerebral edema was diagnosed responsible for cerebro-venous hypoperfusion. Immediate ventricle drainage and further therapeutic measures revealed no improvement. The patient died 33 days pp.

CONCLUSION

Puerperal septicemia seemingly caused by mastitis still needs rapid further evaluation if the patient's clinical presentation quickly declines despite antibiotic therapy. Immediate initiation of chemotherapy after confirmation of ALCL is required to increase the therapeutic benefit due to the poor prognosis of ALCL.

Primary anaplastic lymphoma kinase-negative anaplastic large-cell lymphoma of the breast in a male patient

Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma is an extremely rare lymphoma subtype. We describe the mammographic and ultrasonographic findings in a 51-year-old male patient who suffered from a palpable lump caused by this rare disease.

ALK-1-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma associated with breast implants: a new clinical entity

Concerns have been raised recently regarding the increasing number of reports of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that developed in close proximity to silicone or saline breast implants. In particular, an increased risk of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) in patients with breast prostheses has been proposed. We reviewed clinical and pathologic findings in 40 women who received a diagnosis of breast NHL arising in association with breast implants and of 27 patients who had a diagnosis of ALCL with breast involvement reported in the published literature. Among the 40 reported cases of prosthesis-associated breast lymphomas, 28 were anaplastic lymphoma kinase-1-negative (ALK-1(-)) ALCLs, whereas of 27 ALCLs in patients without implants found in the literature, only 10 were ALK-1(-). The finding of 28 cases of breast ALK-1(-) ALCL occurring in patients with implants compared with 10 cases in women without implants is in favor of an association between silicone breast prostheses and ALK-1(-) ALCL. Although the incidence of this type of lymphoma remains remarkably low given that breast prostheses have been widely used for decades, clinical and pathologic evidence for a causative role is becoming dramatically strong. The histologic, phenomenologic, and clinical similarities of the majority of implant-related ALK-1(-) ALCLs suggest a common mechanism, especially when compared with the counterpart of patients without implants in which very few and highly dishomogeneous cases of the same malignancy were detected. There is convincing evidence that primary implant-related ALK-1(-) ALCL represents a distinct clinicopathologic entity that has been inappropriately fitted into the category of systemic ALK-1(-) ALCL. Thus it should be recognized as a separate category and classified on its own.

Primary ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the breast: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the breast are uncommon, which represent less than 1% of all breast malignancies and predominantly are of B-cell origin.

OBSERVATION

In this report, a rare case of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma in the breast of a 16-year-old female without breast implant is described. The patient presented with a 3-month history of progressive right breast swelling and erythema. Clinically, inflammatory breast carcinoma was highly suspected. A tru-cut needle biopsy of the right breast demonstrated infiltration of tumoral cells around the breast lobules and soft tissue and also in angiolymphatic spaces. The immunohistochemical profile showed positivity for CD30 and ALK and confirmed the diagnosis of ALK-positive anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma of the breast.

CONCLUSION

Anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma of the breast is rare, and can clinically mimic inflammatory breast carcinoma in adolescence.

Management of hematological malignancies during pregnancy

The management of hematological malignancies during pregnancy is a challenging endeavor, which not only requires technical skills and knowledge by the clinicians but also requires sound clinical judgment and compassion, keeping in mind the patient and family preferences and, ultimately, the wellbeing of the neonate. The incidence of hematological malignancies during pregnancy is rare, ranging from 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000 deliveries, impeding the design and execution of large prospective studies. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the limited existing data and make useful suggestions in the management of acute and chronic leukemias, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, plasma cell myeloma, and other hematological malignancies, such as myelodysplastic syndromes and hairy cell leukemia, during pregnancy.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma involving the breast: a clinicopathologic study of 6 cases and review of the literature

CONTEXT

Lymphomas involving the breast are rare, and most cases are of B-cell lineage; T-cell neoplasms represent less than 10% of all breast lymphomas.

OBJECTIVE

To define the clinicopathologic spectrum of anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCLs) involving the breast.

DESIGN

Six cases of ALCL involving the breast were identified at a single institution during 21 years. The clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic features are presented, and the literature is reviewed.

RESULTS

All patients were women, with a median age of 52 years. There were 4 anaplastic lymphoma kinase- negative (ALK(-)) ALCL cases; 3 of these neoplasms developed around breast implants. Two patients with ALK(-) ALCL had a history of cutaneous ALCL. There were 2 ALK(+) ALCLs; both patients had stage IV disease. Histologically, all neoplasms were composed of large anaplastic cells that were uniformly CD30(+) and expressed markers of T-cell lineage. Four patients with adequate follow-up are alive, with a mean of 4.1 years (range, 1.5-9 years) after diagnosis of the breast tumor. Included in this group are 2 patients with ALK(-) ALCL associated with breast implants who were alive 4 years and 9 years after diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Including the 6 cases we describe, a total of 21 cases of ALCL involving the breast are reported. Fifteen cases, all ALK(-), were associated with breast implants, suggesting a possible pathogenetic relationship, and associated with an excellent prognosis. Patients with cutaneous ALCL can subsequently develop ALK(-) ALCL involving the breast, and these tumors can be associated with breast implants.

Primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the breast arising in reconstruction mammoplasty capsule of saline filled breast implant after radical mastectomy for breast cancer: an unusual case presentation

BACKGROUND

Primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of the breast represents 0.04-0.5% of malignant lesions of the breast and accounts for 1.7-2.2% of extra-nodal NHL. Most primary cases are of B-cell phenotype and only rare cases are of T-cell phenotype. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare T-cell lymphoma typically seen in children and young adults with the breast being one of the least common locations. There are a total of eleven cases of primary ALCL of the breast described in the literature. Eight of these cases occurred in proximity to breast implants, four in relation to silicone breast implant and three in relation to saline filled breast implant with three out of the eight implant related cases having previous history of breast cancer treated surgically. Adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy is given in only one case. Secondary hematological malignancies after breast cancer chemotherapy have been reported in literature. However in contrast to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the association between lymphoma and administration of chemotherapy has never been clearly demonstrated.

CASE PRESENTATION

In this report we present a case of primary ALCL of the breast arising in reconstruction mammoplasty capsule of saline filled breast implant after radical mastectomy for infiltrating ductal carcinoma followed by postoperative chemotherapy twelve years ago.

CONCLUSION

Primary ALK negative ALCL arising at the site of saline filled breast implant is rare. It is still unclear whether chemotherapy and breast implantation increases risk of secondary hematological malignancies significantly. However, it is important to be aware of these complications and need for careful pathologic examination of tissue removed for implant related complications to make the correct diagnosis for further patient management and treatment. It is important to be aware of this entity at this site as it can be easily misdiagnosed on histologic grounds and to exclude sarcomatoid carcinoma, malignant melanoma and pleomorphic sarcoma by an appropriate panel of immunostains to arrive at the correct diagnosis of ALCL.