Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma presenting as multiple stroke: A case report

Rare intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) can cause atypical intracerebral haemorrhage and mislead diagnostics

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Common neurological symptoms are cognitive impairment and dementia. Only a few cases have been published reporting intracranial haemorrhage due to IVLBCL. We present a case of a female patient in her late 60s who presented with an atypical intracerebral haemorrhage as the first major complication of an IVLBCL. The patient's condition declined rapidly. She died several weeks later due to haemorrhagic shock. The definitive diagnosis was achieved postmortem. Due to aggressive disease progression, the diagnosis of IVLBCL is still challenging and can therefore lead to incorrect or delayed treatment, especially in cases of unusual manifestations like lobar intracranial haemorrhage.

Ocular Involvement in a Patient with Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Diagnostic Challenge. Clinical Case Report and Literature Review

PURPOSE

To describe the ophthalmic findings and diagnosis of a case of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma.

METHODS

Clinical case observational report.

CLINICAL CASE

A Spanish 51-year-old man referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of panuveitis. The patient presented with blurred vision, photophobia, fever, and weight loss. Ocular examination revealed anterior uveitis, vitritis, and multiple round and oval creamy spots on the posterior pole. Fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and angio-OCT were used for the ocular examination. The diagnosis of lymphoma was formulated on the basis of a random normal skin biopsy, which showed significant CD20 cellularity within the vessels and extensive CD3 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Intravascular lymphoma is a rare form of extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, often with delayed diagnosis because of the nonspecific symptoms. Hence, random skin biopsy could be useful in the diagnosis.

Intravascular Lymphoma-Associated Stroke: A Systematic Review of Case Studies

Intravascular lymphoma (IVL) is an aggressive systemic large B-cell lymphoma that is a rare cause of stroke. The clinical characteristics of stroke associated with IVL remain underexplored, contributing to diagnostic complexities and a high mortality rate. This study endeavors to elucidate the salient clinical and investigative features of stroke linked to this condition. A systematic review was performed using the PubMed database from the incident to August 2023 including search categories for IVL and stroke. All studies, excluding review articles, were included in this study. There were 58 cases with a confirmed diagnosis of IVL associated with stroke, with a mean age of 62.9 ± 9.6 years (female 50%). Classical lateralizing stroke symptoms were noted in only 69% of cases. Other clinical syndromes included altered sensorium (31%), rapidly progressive cognitive impairment (23%), seizures (22%), and gait disturbances (19%). Common hematological abnormalities included elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, 97%), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, 79%), C-reactive protein (CRP, 61%), interleukin-2, microglobulins, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein. CSF flow cytometry was not diagnostic, and cytology was mostly negative. The dynamic pattern for DWI/T2 lesions was predominant and primarily located in the subcortical regions. Diffuse background slowing (64%) was a major finding in the electroencephalogram. Seventy-one percent of cases died (n=45) mostly due to delayed diagnosis. Only 31% were treated with first-line R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine, prednisone) chemotherapy, among whom 25% died. This study suggests that IVL-associated strokes carry a high mortality rate, largely due to challenges in timely diagnosis and therapy. Unlike classical stroke syndrome, key indicators to aid in early diagnosis include a clinical syndrome of multiple non-lateralizing neurological symptoms, dynamic MRI DWI/T2-lesions primarily located in subcortical regions, elevated serum LDH, ESR, CRP, interleukins, microglobulin, CSF protein, and CSF polymerase chain reaction analysis, apart from tissue examination. Larger studies should be performed to establish diagnostic and predictive scores.

A Rare Case of Intravascular Large B-cell Lymphoma Presenting With Bilateral Ophthalmoplegia, Along With a Literature Review

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a subtype of extranodal lymphoma that characteristically contains malignant lymphocytes within blood vessels. The clinical presentation of IVLBCL has high variability. In our case, the patient’s initial presentation involved bilateral ptosis, restricted extraocular movements, periorbital pain, and bitemporal headache. The patient denied the classic “B symptoms” such as fever, night sweats, or weight loss. The patient also denied a family history of malignancy. Initial imaging studies were unremarkable, making diagnosis particularly challenging. Ultimately, functional endoscopic sinus surgery was performed. Pathological examination of the intraoperative specimen revealed a CD5+ large B-cell lymphoma within the vessels involving the left ethmoid sinus, respiratory mucosa, and nasal septum. The patient underwent steroid therapy prior to diagnosis, which led to rapid improvement in headache and mild improvement in extraocular function and ptosis. Following diagnosis, the patient underwent chemotherapy with supportive medications. Our case report may be considered a reference for cases presenting with extensive bilateral extraocular muscle deficits and levator palpebrae dysfunction in the absence of notable initial imaging findings, “B symptoms,” or positive family history. The teaching point from this case is to demonstrate the difficulty of diagnosis and our train of thought in investigating an abnormal presentation with no clearly identifiable etiology following initial diagnostic workup and treatment.

Cancer and Cerebrovascular Disease

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To review the latest information about the interactions between cancer and cerebrovascular disease.

RECENT FINDINGS

Additional data support the finding that both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke are important complications of cancer or its treatment. Reperfusion therapy is being given successfully to patients with stroke complicating cancer. Hemorrhagic stroke may occur with metastatic disease to the brain, coagulopathies from cancer, in particular leukemia, or as complications of chemotherapy. Ischemic stroke also may be a complication of metastatic disease with local invasion of vessels, a pro-thrombotic disorder such as non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), or secondary to chemotherapy. Stroke also is a potential consequence of radiation therapy to the head and neck. Venous sinus thrombosis may develop with hematologic malignancies or chemotherapy. Although many patients will have a history of cancer at the time of stroke, a cerebrovascular event may be the initial manifestation of a malignancy.

Unusual and Fatal Case of an Undiagnosed Intravascular Large B-cell Lymphoma: The Oncologist's Great Imitator†

Intravascular lymphoma (IVL) is a rare subtype of extranodal lymphomas that is characterized by the selective growth of neoplastic cells within the lumen of small vessels. Authors document the case of an unexpected death caused by an undiagnosed intravascular large B-cell lymphoma with multi-organ involvement, which had initially manifested as an infection and then as an unclarified central nervous system pathology. Histological examination showed a diffuse intravascular large B-cell brain lymphoma with prominent cerebral involvement. The relevance of the case report reveals the importance of an autopsy of an extremely rare and threatening pathology that in most cases is diagnosed only postmortem. As a result, the role of the forensic pathologist becomes particularly important. When specifically performing an in-depth autopsy evaluation with a specific histologic analysis, it is possible to identify the intravascular lymphoma and declare a more accurate cause of death.