Acute renal failure and type B lactic acidosis as first manifestation of extranodal T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma

Adult-Onset T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma-Leukemia Presenting With Petechial Rash: A Case Report

T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma-leukemia (T-ALL) is a rare neoplastic disease with presenting symptoms that are often non-specific. As such, accurate diagnosis requires high clinical suspicion and assessment of bone marrow aspirate with flow cytometry and morphology. While remission is achievable in most patients, the five-year survival rate is only 48% despite treatment. The standard chemotherapy regimen is referred to as hyper-CVAD, where CVAD stands for cyclophosphamide, vincristine sulfate, Adriamycin (doxorubicin), methotrexate, and dexamethasone. In this study, we describe a 38-year-old female who presented with atraumatic abdominal bruising and a petechial rash on the upper and lower extremities. Imaging revealed a 16 cm anterior mediastinal mass and a bone marrow and mediastinal mass biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of T-ALL. The patient received hyper-CVAD cycle 1A with several complications but ultimately achieved remission after four cycles. Here, we stress the importance of broadening differentials for new-onset petechial rashes in adults to include systematic lymphomas, such as T-ALL, and the need for early recognition so patients can receive timely treatment.

Renomegaly and acute kidney injury as primary manifestations of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a report of three cases

BACKGROUND

In adults with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, renal enlargement and acute kidney injury occur infrequently at first presentation, especially in T lymphocytic lymphomas.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report three cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with acute renal injury and bilateral renal enlargement. At diagnosis, one patient presented with an adrenal mass, one patient's lymph node biopsy was consistent with a renal biopsy, and one patient had primary renal lymphoma with no extrarenal disease. Assessment of renal pathology in Case 2 and Case 3 showed interstitial lymphocyte infiltration; the pathological types were non-Hodgkin's diffuse large B lymphoma originating from activated B cells outside germinal centers and non-Hodgkin's T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia, respectively. Case 1 did not receive anti-lymphoma therapy and died from infection and multiple organ failure within 1 month of hospitalization. Case 2 received eight courses of R-CHOP; her lymphoma recurred 2 years after diagnosis and she died from severe pulmonary infection 3 years after diagnosis. Case 3 received hyper-CVAD regularly and achieved stable renal function; this patient remains under follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Renal lymphoma may have diverse manifestations, especially primary renal lymphoma without extrarenal involvement. Nephrologists should pay careful attention to these manifestations to ensure accurate diagnosis.

Type B Lactic Acidosis in a Patient with Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Type B lactic acidosis is an uncommon medical emergency in which acid production overwhelms hepatic clearance. This specific etiology of lactic acidosis occurs without organ hypoperfusion and has been most commonly described in patients with hematologic malignancies but also in patients with solid tumors. The mechanism by which cancer cells switch their glucose metabolism toward increasingly anaerobic glycolytic phenotypes has been described as the "Warburg effect." Without treating the underlying malignancy, the prognosis for patients diagnosed with malignancy-related type B lactic acidosis is extremely poor. Here, we present a case of a 66-year-old male who was diagnosed with type B lactic acidosis secondary to mantle cell lymphoma. Bicarbonate drip was started to correct the lactic acidosis. The patient was also immediately treated with rituximab chemotherapy combined with rasburicase to avoid the hyperuricemia associated with tumor lysis syndrome. He responded to the early treatment and was discharged with normal renal function. Type B lactic acidosis secondary to hematologic malignancy is important to recognize. In order to successfully treat this syndrome, early diagnosis and simultaneous treatment of the imbalance of lactic acid levels and the underlying malignancy are necessary.

Type B lactic acidosis: a rare but life threatening hematologic emergency. A case illustration and brief review

Major strides have been made in improving the treatment of medical emergencies associated with malignancies. Nonetheless, metabolic emergencies in cancer patients can often times be life-threatening. Type B lactic acidosis is a rare but potentially fatal paraneoplastic phenomenon that has been described in association with hematologic and solid malignancies and portends a poor prognosis if not rapidly recognized and treated. It is believed that this occurs as a result of cancer cells switching their glucose metabolism from an oxidative oxygen- dependent pathway towards a glycolytic phenotype, also known as the "Warburg effect". Though rare, it is important to consider this entity in the differential diagnosis of type B lactic acidosis since prompt identification and treatment may help improve outcomes in this otherwise fatal process. We present a case of type B lactic acidosis in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia along with a brief review of the literature.

A case of type B lactic acidosis as a complication of chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia: a case report and review of the literature

Introduction

Type B lactic acidosis represents a rare and often lethal complication of haematological malignancy. Here, we present a patient who developed a type B lactic acidosis presumably due to a concurrent chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia. Upon swift initiation of cytoreductive chemotherapy (doxorubicin), the lactic acidosis was rapidly brought under control. This case adds to the literature reporting other haematological malignancies that can cause a type B lactic acidosis and its successful treatment.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 77-year-old Caucasian man brought to our Accident and Emergency department following an unwitnessed collapse; he was found surrounded by coffee-ground vomit. Although haemodynamically stable on admission, he rapidly deteriorated as his lactic acid rose. An initial arterial blood gas revealed a pH of 7.27 and lactate of 18mmol/L (peaking at 21mmol/L).

Conclusions

A high degree of clinical suspicion for haematological malignancy should be held when presented with a patient with lactic acidosis in clinical practice, even without evidence of poor oxygenation or another cause. Treatment with emergency chemotherapy, in lieu of a definitive diagnosis, was rapidly successful at lowering lactate levels within 8 hours. This may suggest a causal and perhaps direct relationship between lactic acid production and the presence of leukemic cells. Veno-venous haemofiltration had no apparent effect on reducing the lactic acidosis and therefore its benefit is questioned in this setting, especially at the cost of delaying chemotherapy. In the face of a life-threatening lactic acidosis, pragmatic clinical judgement alone may justify the rapid initiation of chemotherapy.