A Case Report of Primary Nasal Natural Killer (NK)/T-Cell Lymphoma in an African American Patient Presenting with Hemophagocytic Syndrome

Lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (LA-HLH): a scoping review unveils clinical and diagnostic patterns of a lymphoma subgroup with poor prognosis

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a severe hyperinflammatory syndrome driven by pathologic activation of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and macrophages. Despite advances in diagnostics and management, adult patients with lymphoma-associated HLH (LA-HLH) harbor particularly poor prognosis and optimal treatment remains challenging. As systematic data on LA-HLH are scarce, we aimed to synthesize research evidence by thorough analysis of the published literature in PubMed (MEDLINE-database) within the context of a scoping review. Of 595 search results, 132 articles providing information on 542 patients were reviewed and analyzed. Median patient age was 60 years (range, 18-98) with male predominance (62.7%). B- and T-NHL were equally represented (45.6% and 45.2%), Hodgkin's lymphoma was reported in 8.9% of the cases. The majority of patients (91.6%) presented in Ann-Arbor-Stages III and IV, and bone marrow infiltration was observed in a significant proportion of patients (61.5%). Soluble CD25 levels were markedly elevated (median 10,000 U/ml), with levels beyond 10,000 U/ml indicating unfavorable prognosis for 30-day and overall survival. 66.8% of the patients died after median 5.1 months. LA-HLH remains a clinical challenge requiring specialized management. Timely diagnosis and appropriate lymphoma-specific treatment are of utmost importance to enhance patient outcomes.

Indolent CD30-Positive Extranodal NK/T Cell Lymphoma with Large Cell Transformation: Case Report and Literature Review

The nasal type of extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKL) is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Although ENKL is most commonly seen in the midline of the nose, face and Waldeyer's ring, it can also occur in the skin, gastrointestinal tract, soft tissues and other parts of the body. Severe ENKL cases are accompanied by hemophagocytosis, with clinical manifestations such as high fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and decreased blood cell count. ENKL at different locations exhibits similar histological features and immunophenotypes, such as a strong affinity for T cell markers CD2 and CD56, cytotoxic molecules, as well as a strong positive for EBER after in situ hybridization. Although indolent ENKL is extremely rare, we hereby present a case study of primary NK/T cell lymphoma in the spinal canal with the initial manifestation of a diffuse growth of small cells, and the survival and recurrence details after 11 years, accompanied by CD30-positive large cell transformation. The patient's condition after treatment has improved and is currently in good health.