Primary splenic histiocytic sarcoma complicated with prolonged idiopathic thrombocytopenia and secondary bone marrow involvement: a unique surgical case presenting with splenomegaly but non-nodular lesions

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the spleen: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma is an uncommon sarcoma and its presence in the spleen is even rarer, with only a handful of cases reported in English literature. It is typically only diagnosed following histological analysis. Its rarity also means that there is little consensus over ideal management.

CASE PRESENTATION

This report presents a case of a 40-year-old Caucasian male who was found to have a splenic mass after presenting with non-specific abdominal pain and generalized malaise. Numerous imaging modalities were used which demonstrated a large partially solid and partially cystic lesion in spleen with no evidence of metastasis. As core biopsies were undiagnostic, he was planned for a diagnostic and therapeutic splenectomy. However, despite magnetic resonance imaging 11 days prior to his operation showed no evidence of liver metastasis, a massive splenic tumour with hepatic metastases was identified intraoperatively. An open splenectomy, distal pancreatectomy and liver metastasectomy was hence carried out. Histological analysis confirmed liver metastasis secondary to a splenic undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. The patient recovered well and was discharged home. He presented again three weeks after his operation with lower back pain, abdominal pain and fever. Computed tomography demonstrated extensive recurrent disease burden in the peritoneum and liver. The patient passed away a month after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Splenic undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma is a rare tumour which may pose a significant diagnostic challenge on both clinical and histopathological grounds. Following diagnosis and treatment, its aggressive nature often results in a poor prognosis. Current literature fails to delineate any superior management strategy to increase survival.

Case report: Targeting the PD-1 receptor and genetic mutations validated in primary histiocytic sarcoma with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is a rare hematological malignancy with limited treatment options, and it is also prone to complications such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in the later stages of the disease, leading to difficulties in treatment and poor prognosis. It highlights the importance of developing novel therapeutic agents. Herein, we present a case of a 45-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with PD-L1-positive HS with HLH. The patient was admitted to our hospital with recurrent high fever, multiple skin rashes with pruritus throughout the body and enlarged lymph nodes. Subsequently, pathological biopsy of the lymph nodes revealed high expression of CD163, CD68, S100, Lys and CD34 in the tumor cells and no expression of CD1a and CD207, confirming this rare clinical diagnosis. Concerning the low remission rate by conventional treatment in this disease, the patient was administered with sintilimab (an anti-programmed cell death 1 [anti-PD-1] monoclonal antibody) at 200 mg/d combined with a first-line chemotherapy regimen for one cycle. Further exploration of pathological biopsy by using next-generation gene sequencing led to the use of targeted therapy of chidamide. After one cycle of combination therapy (chidamide+sintilimab, abbreviated as CS), the patient achieved a favorable response. The patient showed remarkable improvement in the general symptoms and laboratory examination results (e.g., elevated indicators of inflammation); even the clinical benefits was not persistent, he survived one more month after his cessation of treatment by himself due to economic difficulty. Our case suggests that PD-1 inhibitor coupled with targeted therapy might constitute a potential therapeutic option for primary HS with HLH.

Multiple disciplinary team management of rare primary splenic malignancy: Two case reports

BACKGROUND

Malignant splenic tumors are rare but fatal, presenting a challenge in diagnosis and management involving hematology, oncology, and general surgery. By contrast, diagnosing and treating other common malignant tumors (such as lung and gastrointestinal cancer) offers multiple strategies for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy with the prospect of a cure. With various specialists involved in clinical multiple disciplinary team (MDT) discussion, personal bias can be minimized. It can also ignite important discussion which can benefit not only one patient but many patients.

CASE SUMMARY

Here, we report on the MDT diagnosis and management of the malignant splenic tumors littoral cell angiosarcoma and histiocytic sarcoma. Although only two cases of rare primary splenic malignancy are presented, MDT is a novel means of rare disease treatment.

CONCLUSION

To benefit patients, imaging analysis, safe operation, precise pathology examination, and individualized therapeutic treatment strategies are required. The involvement of various specialists in a clinical MDT discussion minimizes personal bias and can create important ideas to benefit all patients.

Primary splenic histiocytic sarcoma successfully treated with splenectomy: a case report and literature review

A 61-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with refractory thrombocytopenia and splenomegaly. She was diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenia 3 years prior to admission and received steroid therapy. However, her platelet count started decreasing six months prior to admission. A diagnostic and therapeutic splenectomy was performed, which led to the diagnosis of histiocytic sarcoma. The patient's platelet count recovered promptly after splenectomy, and she was in complete remission for over a year.

Primary splenic histiocytic sarcoma associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: A case report and review of literature of next-generation sequencing involving FLT3, NOTCH2, and KMT2A mutations

Background

Histiocytic sarcoma is a very rare monocyte/macrophage‐derived hematopoietic system tumor with a poor prognosis whose diagnosis is pathologically challenging due to its extreme rarity and histological overlap with various mimicking entities in which histiocytes also predominate.

Case

We report the case of a 33‐year‐old male patient with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, purpuric syndrome, and significant splenomegaly. The patient underwent splenectomy; subsequent macroscopic examination revealed a spleen weighing 2065 grams with hyperemic red pulp and multiple infarcts at the periphery. The histological and immunohistochemical study established a diagnosis of primary splenic histiocytic sarcoma with frequent hemophagocytosis. Next‐generation sequencing demonstrated mutations in FLT3, NOTCH2, and KMT2A, microsatellite stability, and a tumor mutational burden of 2 mut/Mb. The patient's condition deteriorated clinically from the appearance of the first symptoms and he died 6 months later from multi‐organ failure.

Conclusion

Primary splenic histiocytic sarcoma is one of the rarest tumors of the hematopoietic system. We report the first case with mutations in FLT3, NOTCH2, and KMT2A, and associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Thrombocytopenia with multiple splenic lesions - histiocytic sarcoma of the spleen without splenomegaly: A case report

BACKGROUND

Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) of the spleen is reported to be a rare and lethal disease. The clinicopathological features of splenic HS have not been well described. The objective of this paper is to describe the diagnosis and treatment of a case of this rare disease and provide a review of the literature.

CASE SUMMARY

In this article, we discuss the case of a 40-year-old Hispanic female who presented with progressive thrombocytopenia and multiple hypoechoic lesions in the spleen without splenomegaly. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography showed increased activity in cervical lymph nodes, as well as multiple bone and splenic lesions with positive uptake. Two bone marrow biopsies and fine-needle aspiration of the cervical lymph node were inconclusive. Laparoscopic splenectomy was performed, and gross examination showed a 110.1 g spleen with multiple rubbery, nodular lesions within the subcapsular sinus and splenic parenchyma. The microscopic findings showed multinodular histiocyte proliferation with atypia and multilobulated nuclei, which were positive for CD163, CD4, and CD68 by immunohistochemical analysis. The final pathologic diagnosis was difficult and was found to be low-grade HS of the spleen, after consultations with two renowned hematopathology institutions. At the patient’s five-month follow-up visit, her bone marrow metastasis had progressed. She is waiting to be enrolled in a clinical trial.

CONCLUSION

Pathologic diagnosis of splenic HS can be challenging. Low-grade differentiation may be associated with a slow progressive disease.