Diagnostic difficulties and treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the orbit

Initial Manifestation of Orbital Lymphomas: The Role of Early Diagnosis

ABSTRACT

Orbital lymphoma is a rare condition with non-specific and variable clinical course. This features are the main obstacle for diagnosis and treatment. A 43-year-old female patient complaining of vision loss and hemiface paresthesia, Proptosis was noted associated with an expansive lesion involving the right temporal lobe and orbital region. Craniotomy was performed to allow orbital decompression and anatomopathogical analysis. Final diagnosis was Burkitt Lymphoma. Patient evolved to death after seven days. A 40-year-old male patient complaining excessive tearing and sight disturbance. Proptosis on the right eye was noticed. Extra-conal expansive lesion was observed. Final diagnosis was mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. Radio and chemotherapy protocol was initiated. In a 3 year follow-up, there are no signs of recurrence or ocular/orbital impairment. Maxillofacial surgeons should be aware of the initial clinical presentation and always include lymphoid neoplasms as a differential diagnosis in cases which acute functional alterations are present.

Follicular lymphoid hyperplasia of the posterior maxillary site presenting as uncommon entity: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Follicular lymphoid hyperplasia (FLH) is characterized by an increased number and size of lymphoid follicles. In some cases, the etiology of FLH is unclear. FLH in the oral and maxillofacial region is an uncommon benign entity which may resemble malignant lymphoma clinically and histologically.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report the case of a 51-year-old woman who presented with an asymptomatic firm mass in the left posterior maxillary site. Computed tomography scan of her head and neck showed a clear circumscribed solid mass measuring 28 × 23 mm in size. There was no evidence of bone involvement. Incisional biopsy demonstrated benign lymphoid tissue. The patient underwent complete surgical resection. Histologically, the resected specimen showed scattered lymphoid follicles with germinal centers and predominant small lymphocytes in the interfollicular areas. Immunohistochemically, the lymphoid follicles were positive for CD20, CD79a, CD10, CD21, and Bcl6. The germinal centers were negative for Bcl2. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of benign FLH was made. There was no recurrence at 1 year postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS

We diagnosed an extremely rare case of FLH arising from an unusual site and whose onset of entity is unknown. Careful clinical and histopathological evaluations are essential in making a differential diagnosis from a neoplastic lymphoid proliferation with a nodular growth pattern.

Orbital lymphoma

Orbital lymphomas constitute 50-60% of ocular adnexal lymphomas. A total of 2211 cases of orbital lymphoma with a known subtype have been reported in the last 24 years (1994-2017). The vast majority of orbital lymphomas are of B-cell origin (97%), of which extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (EMZL) (59%) is the most common subtype, followed by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (23%), follicular lymphoma (9%), and mantle cell lymphoma (5%). Orbital lymphoma is primarily a disease of the elderly. Gender distribution varies according to lymphoma subtype. However, extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (53%) and follicular lymphoma (75%) show a female predominance, whereas diffuse large B-cell lymphoma shows an even gender distribution. Mantle cell lymphoma has a striking male predominance of 80%. The histopathological subtype and the clinical stage of the disease are the best indicators of prognosis and patient outcome. Low-grade lymphomas such as extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma and FL have a good prognosis, whereas high-grade lymphomas (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma) are associated with a poor prognosis. When managing solitary low-grade lymphomas, radiotherapy is the treatment of choice. Chemotherapy, with or without radiotherapy, should be chosen for disseminated and high-grade lymphomas.

Optic nerve lymphoma: report of two cases and review of the literature

Lymphoma may involve the optic nerve as isolated optic nerve lymphoma or in association with central nervous system (CNS) or systemic lymphoma. We present two biopsy-proven non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the optic nerve and compare our findings with previously reported cases. We discuss the mechanism of metastasis, classification of optic nerve involvement, clinical features, radiologic findings, optic nerve biopsy indications and techniques, histologic features, and treatments. We propose a classification system of optic nerve lymphoma: isolated optic nerve involvement, optic nerve involvement with CNS disease, optic nerve involvement with systemic disease, and optic nerve involvement with primary intraocular lymphoma. Although it is an uncommon cause of infiltrative optic neuropathy, optic nerve metastasis should be considered in patients with a history of lymphoma. The recommended approach to a patient with presumed optic nerve lymphoma includes neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid evaluation as part of the initial workup, then judicious use of optic nerve biopsy, depending on the clinical situation.

Blepharoplasty revealing orbital lymphoma

Blepharoplasty is a frequent request in consultations of plastic surgery. Patients are often presenting with a progressive swelling of the eyelids. For functional or aesthetic reasons, we commonly perform a superior and/or inferior blepharoplasty to correct this problem. We present the case of a 72-year-old woman who consulted us with a prominent unattractive swelling of both lower eyelids. Because of the atypical and suspicious presentation, supplementary examinations were conducted, and the fat was also sent for analysis. A diagnosis of unilateral orbital lymphoma was obtained. The patient was treated as a primarily localized lymphoma with a positive outcome. When correctly diagnosed and treated, orbital lymphomas can have a very good prognosis.

Cranio-maxillofacial non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: clinical and histological presentation

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma represents about 5% of all malignant lesions of the head and neck. In this study we retrospectively evaluated clinical presentation, histological subtype and long-term prognosis of 42 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma involving the craniofacial area. The mean age at diagnosis was 64 years. More than half of the patients presented with disseminated disease at multiple sites (55%, n=23). In 62% (n=26) the first manifestation was extranodal. The most common affected region was the oral cavity (65%, n=17). Treatment consisted of local therapy, including surgical resection and radiation, as well as chemotherapy with or without local therapy. Recurrence occurred in 31% (n=13) of the treated patients. Mean survival after first diagnosis varied from 17 months in patients presenting with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), to 8.5 years in patients with follicular lymphoma. The most common histological subtype is DLBCL. Standard treatment for DLBCL consists of chemotherapy combined with CD 20 monoclonal antibody, even after total resection of the tumour. There is high risk of systemic disease in patients presenting with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and high risk of post therapy recurrence.

A TNM-Based Clinical Staging System of Ocular Adnexal Lymphomas

Context.—The ocular adnexal lymphomas (OAL) arise in the conjunctiva, orbit, lacrimal gland, and eyelids. To date, they have been clinically staged using the Ann Arbor staging system, first designed for Hodgkin and later for nodal, non–Hodgkin lymphoma. The Ann Arbor system has several shortcomings, particularly when staging extranodal non– Hodgkin lymphomas, such as OAL, which show different dissemination patterns from nodal lymphomas.

Objective.—To describe the first TNM-based clinical staging system for OAL.

Design.—Retrospective literature review.

Results.—We have developed, to our knowledge, the first American Joint Committee on Cancer–International Union Against Cancer TNM-based staging system for OAL to overcome the limitations of the Ann Arbor system. Our staging system defines disease extent more precisely within the various anatomic compartments of the ocular adnexa and allows for analysis of site-specific factors not addressed previously. It aims to facilitate future studies by identifying clinical and histomorphologic features of prognostic significance. This system is for primary OAL only and is not intended for intraocular lymphomas.

Conclusions.—Our TNM-based staging system for OAL is a user-friendly, anatomic documentation of disease extent, which creates a common language for multicenter and international collaboration. Data points will be collected with the aim of identifying biomarkers to be incorporated into the staging system.