Angiotropic B-cell lymphoma presenting with progressive dementia: an autopsy case and review of the literature in Japan

A new approach to the diagnosis and treatment of intravascular lymphoma

In intravascular lymphoma (IVL) tumor cells are initially restricted to vascular lumina. Neurological syndromes predominate and are caused by ischemia as well as tumor infiltration into the nervous system. Ante mortem diagnosis is challenging and frequently impossible. Chemotherapy is effective if started prior to ischemic damage. Over a three year period, we have diagnosed IVL in seven patients. Tissue diagnosis could be accomplished in only three cases. Forthose in whom tissue diagnosis failed we based our diagnosis on clinical presentation, typical magnetic resonance imaging findings, spinal fluid cytopathology, and molecular analyses. Six patients were treated with methotrexate chemotherapy alone or in combination with CHOP. Three patients are in complete remission 9-20 months after initial diagnosis. Another patient achieved a partial response. Two patients died due to progressive disease shortly after initiation of treatment. Grade III toxicity was observed in only 4 of 61 cycles. Based on a small retrospective series of patients, we conclude that methotrexate is a well tolerated and effective agent for the treatment of IVL.

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma with a fulminant clinical course: a case report with definite diagnosis post mortem

A patient is described who presented with pancytopenia, splenomegaly and excessively elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels in concurrence with signs of extramedullary hematopoiesis. Although initially considered in the differential diagnostic spectrum, a highly aggressive lymphoma could not be identified before the patient died, 6 weeks after admission. Even an intensive diagnostic work-up including splenectomy and repeated bone marrow biopsies was inconclusive. Finally, the diagnosis of an intravascular large B-cell lymphoma, a highly aggressive clinical subtype of a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, spreading within vascular structures of multiple organs was established by autopsy. Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma is often not diagnosed before death due to the exclusive intravascular growth pattern of the tumor cells and a fulminant clinical course. The heterogeneous clinical features of this lymphoma subtype are discussed.

An Asian variant of intravascular lymphomatosis: an updated review of malignant histiocytosis-like B-cell lymphoma

Malignant histiocytosis-like B-cell lymphoma (MH-like BCL) is characterized clinically by hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS), bone marrow involvement at presentation, and an aggressive clinical course. Yet, it remains an ill-defined disease entity. We recently described five cases of MH-like BCL and suggested that these may be regarded as a peculiar variant of intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL), based on clinical and pathological observation. Interestingly, this type of lymphoma has been reported exclusively among Asians, with few reports from Western countries, and therefore we propose that this variant be noted as an Asian variant of IVL(AIVL). To evaluate the incidence of this variant, we performed a literature search for English or Japanese studies dealing with MH-like BCL or B-cell IVL associated with HPS (IVL with HPS). We found 18 reports of MH-like BCL and 16 reports of IVL with HPS and re-evaluated the clinicopathologic aspects of each study with respect to AIVL. Although several differences were noted, such as gender, presence of respiratory changes, bone marrow invasion and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, there were also overlapping profiles and they appeared to be consistent with the AIVL single disease entity. Of particular note was the absence of peripheral lymphadenopathy and tumor formation which posed diagnostic problems in the initial phase of the presentations. Thus, based on analysis of the clinical findings of these 34 cases, the diagnostic criteria for AIVL consists primarily of cytopenia (anemia and/or thrombocytopenia), hepatosplenomegaly, absence of peripheral lymphadenopathy and tumor formation, and erythrocyte-hemophagocytosis along with intravascular proliferation of the neoplastic B cells. The pathologic findings of the 19 autopsied cases which fulfilled the criteria are also summarized, and they reveal morphologic, immunologic, and genotypic features of typical IVL.