The management of an orbital diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

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.

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.

Sequential development of multifocal recurrent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue and diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma in a single patient: A case report

RATIONALE

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) belong to Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). DLBCL rarely involves the orbit. MALT lymphomas, which account for 8.0% of NHLs, rarely involve parotid gland, trachea and bronchus.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We present a rare case of a long-surviving patient (≥10 years) with sequential development of multifocal recurrent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) and diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In August 2007, a 41-year-old man developed MALT lymphoma in the parotid gland and local irradiation was administered. In July 2008, he exhibited systemic multifocal lymphadenopathy and was diagnosed with DLBCL. He received standard combination chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. He was well until February 2013 when he developed MALT lymphoma of the bronchus. Subsequently, he received standard combination chemotherapy. In November 2013, the patient had a relapse of the MALT lymphoma by tracheal biopsy and received local radiation. He was well until March 2015 when he developed a MALT lymphoma of the left thigh. He underwent surgery, local irradiation and rituximab monotherapy. In September 2015, surgical resection of the left orbital masses was performed, and the biopsy revealed the presence of DLBCL. One month later, lymphadenopathy was palpated in the neck, the lower left region of the umbilicus, and the left calf. Then he received chemotherapy with rituximab and lenalidomide. In March 2016, the patient underwent surgical resection for a right popliteal mass, and the resection biopsy revealed DLBCL. To date, the patient is still alive.

DIAGNOSES

The patient was diagnosed as multifocal recurrent MALT and DLBCL.

INTERVENTIONS

Repeated positron emission tomography-computed tomography (CT) and biopsy were performed.

OUTCOMES

CT and biopsy revealed sequential development of multifocal recurrent NHLs of MALT lymphoma and DLBCL. The correlation between MALT and DLBCL may represent a Richter transformation. Standard treatments, such as combination chemotherapy, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and irradiation, may be driving factors for phenotypic changes in neoplastic cells.

LESSONS

Physicians should pay particular attention to the long-term development of other types of NHL after achieving complete remission of one type of NHL.

Ocular Adnexal Lymphoma Presenting with Visual Loss

Context:

Elderly patients with visual loss often have age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataract as common causes of visual loss. Other less common etiologies should be considered, especially in those presenting with systemic associations.

Case Report:

The patient discussed in our review is an 80-year-old female, with a history of diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration who presented with a sudden deterioration of vision. While this was initially attributed to diabetic retinopathy, she was eventually noted to have a salmon patch lesion in her conjunctiva, diagnosed on biopsy to be a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Conclusion:

Because of the significant rate of disseminated disease among patients with lymphomas in the orbit that carries a worse prognosis, early diagnosis is essential to promote better overall survival of these patients. We describe here a patient diagnosed with conjunctival lymphoma associated with pronounced visual loss and review the literature on this subject.