Primary malignant non-Hodgkin′s lymphoma of the skull vault in an immunocompetent patient

COVID19-induced immunosuppression and aggressive progression of primary cranial vault lymphoma presenting as a management challenge, a case report, and a literature review

Background

We needs to study Primary Large cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma of the cranial vault, which is rare, and its association with COVID19 has not been reported, which may have an immunosuppressive effect to aggravate its progression.

Patient details

Our patient, a 53-year-old male, noticed fast growth of posterior cranial vault lesion from 2 to 10 cm size in last 6 months after COVID 19 affliction. MRI brain with contrast revealed lesions suggesting meningioma. The whole-body PET scan was normal. Following Subtotal excision of the mass, histopathology revealed large B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (DLBCL). Immunohistochemistry showed positive results for CD10, CD20, CD45 (LCA), ALK, and BCL-VE with a Ki-67 index of 90–95%. Following radiotherapy and chemotherapy patient is disease-free on imaging and doing well at 5 months of follow-up.

Conclusions

Early intervention with excisional biopsy and timely chemo and radiotherapy in favorable immunostaining may add survival benefits even in malignant features induced by immunosuppressing diseases such as COVID19 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the scalp.

Characteristics of cranial vault lymphoma from a systematic review of the literature

Background:

Cranial vault lymphomas are rare and their clinical features are often similar to those of cranial vault meningiomas. The objective of this review was to identify the features helpful for differentiating lymphomas of the cranial vault, from meningiomas which were the most common diagnosis before the definitive pathological diagnosis.

Methods:

The inclusion criterion was a histologically proven malignant lymphoma initially appearing in the calvarium. We conducted a literature search of the electronic PubMed and Ichushi-Web databases up to June 1, 2020. Cranial vault lymphoma that was diagnosed after an original diagnosis of lymphoma in a nodal or soft-tissue site was excluded from the study. Descriptive analyses were used to present the patient characteristics.

Results:

A total of 111 patients were found in 98 eligible articles. Almost all studies were case reports. The most common symptom was a growing subcutaneous scalp mass (84%) present for a mean duration of 5.9 months before the patient presented for treatment in analyzable cases; this fast growth may distinguish lymphomas from meningiomas. The tumor vascularization was often inconspicuous or poor, unlike well-vascularized meningiomas. A disproportionately small amount of skull destruction compared with the soft-tissue mass was observed in two-thirds of the analyzable cases.

Conclusion:

This qualitative systematic review identified several features of cranial vault lymphomas that may be useful in differentiating them from meningiomas, including a rapidly growing subcutaneous scalp mass, poor vascularization, and limited skull destruction relative to the size of the soft-tissue mass.

Primary Cranial Vault Lymphoma Extending between Subcutaneous Tissue and Brain Parenchyma without Skull Destruction after Mild Head Trauma: A Case Report and Literature Review

Malignant lymphoma of the head rarely arises outside of the brain parenchyma as primary cranial vault lymphoma (PCVL). A case of PCVL that invaded from subcutaneous tissue into the brain, passing through the skull, and occurred after mild head trauma is reported along with a review of the literature. The patient was a 75-year-old man with decreased activity. One month before his visit to our hospital, he bruised the left frontal area of his head. Magnetic resonance imaging showed homogeneously enhanced tumors with contrast media in the subcutaneous tissue corresponding to the head impact area and the cerebral parenchyma, but no obvious abnormal findings in the skull. A biopsy with craniotomy was performed under general anesthesia. The pathological diagnosis was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. On histological examination, tumor cells grew aggressively under the skin. Tumor cells invaded along the emissary vein into the external table without remarkable bone destruction and extended across the skull through the Haversian canals in the diploe. Tumor cells were found only at the perivascular areas in the dura mater and extended into the brain parenchyma. Considering the history of head trauma and the neuroimaging and histological findings, the PCVL in the present case arose primarily under the skin, passed though the skull and dura mater, and invaded along vessels and reached the brain.

Optimal Management of Calvarial Lymphoma: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Calvarial lymphoma is an exceedingly rare phenomenon; the clinical presentation and imaging pattern mimic many diseases of the central nervous system. Several treatment approaches have been undertaken with variable use of surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation; an optimal treatment algorithm has yet to be defined. The aim of this study was to better characterize management strategies and patient outcomes.

METHODS

An illustrative case was presented and a meta-analysis was carried out in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. MEDLINE and Embase were searched for cases of calvarial lymphoma. Outcomes between patients who underwent open surgery and biopsy only were compared directly.

RESULTS

In an analysis from 1976 to 2019, 62 patients with a median age of 60 were included. The most common presentations were subcutaneous scalp mass (89%), headaches (26%), and focal neurological deficits (21%). Osteolytic changes on computed tomography were seen in 69% of patients with extension into either the intracranial or extracranial space in 97% of cases. Surgical excision was performed in 41 patients with a remission rate of 85% and a recurrence rate of 5%, which did not vary significantly from patients treated nonsurgically (remission in 75%, P = 0.479; recurrence in 0%, P = 1.000) CONCLUSIONS: In patients presenting with a progressively enlarging scalp mass, calvarial lymphoma should be in the differential diagnosis, as it can be effectively managed with a biopsy followed by chemotherapy and radiation. The role for open surgery may be limited.