• Order
  • Offers
  • Support
    • Due to unforeseen circumstances, our phone line will be unavailable from 5pm to 9pm GMT on Thursday, 28th March. Please be assured that orders will continue to be processed as usual during this period. For any queries, you can still contact us through your customer portal, where our team will be ready to assist you.

      March 28, 2024

  • Sign In

Disclaimer: This case study has been written by a student and not our expert nursing writers. View professional sample case studys here.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this case study are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NursingAnswers.net. This case study should not be treated as an authoritative source of information when forming medical opinions as information may be inaccurate or out-of-date.

Primary Pulmonary Lymphoma Case Study

Info: 1728 words (7 pages) Nursing Case Study
Published: 15th Apr 2021

Reference this

Rare Primary Pulmonary Marginal Zone Lymphoma Presenting with Incidental Pulmonary Nodules

Introduction:

Primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL) is a rare neoplasm accounting for 0.5-1% of pulmonary malignancies [1]. It can present with nonspecific symptoms, or in some cases, it can be detected as an incidentaloma during surveillance of other thoracic pathologies. Here, we present a case of an elderly male who was seen at his primary care physician’s (PCP) office for follow up of ascending aortic aneurysm. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest without contrast revealed pleural-based right upper lobe, central right lower lobe, and left upper lobe pulmonary nodules. Pathology confirmed the diagnosis of low-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) consistent with marginal zone lymphoma.

Case Presentation:

An 83-year-old male with past medical history of mild Alzheimer’s dementia, non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, aortic regurgitation, and an ascending aortic aneurysm measured at 4.1 cm presented to the pulmonology clinic with an abnormal CT of the chest. He was seen by his PCP recently for follow up of ascending aortic aneurysm and had a CT chest without contrast performed which showed 14.8 mm pleural-based nodular density in the posterior medial right upper lobe, irregular 20.5 mm right lower lobe nodule, and a 2 mm left upper lobe partially calcified nodule. He had no respiratory or constitutional symptoms. He was a lifelong non-smoker without any significant occupational exposures. [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography with CT (18F –FDG PET/CT) was performed showing multiple 18F –FDG avid nodules in the right upper lobe, right lower lobe, and left upper lobe. Initially thought to be inflammatory in nature, a 3-month follow up CT chest was recommended however, patient opted for CT-guided transthoracic biopsy. Histopathology revealed low-grade B-cell NHL consistent with marginal zone lymphoma. Patient was referred to oncology for further management.

Discussion:

Primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL) is a rare clinicopathologic entity, which comprises less than 0.3% of all primary lung malignancies, less than 1% of all cases of NHL, and 3% to 4% of all extranodal NHL [2-4]. It is defined as a lymphoma localized to the lung in a patient with no prior history of extrapulmonary disease at the time of diagnosis or up to 3 months thereafter [2, 5].

Get Help With Your Nursing Case Study

If you need assistance with writing your nursing case study, our professional nursing case study writing service is here to help!

Find out more

The most common type of PPL is the marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), otherwise known as MALT lymphoma or “MALToma,” which comprises 70-80% of all cases of PPL [6]. These MALT lymphomas are thought to arise from clonal proliferation of marginal zone B cells of bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) [2]. Approximately 40-50% of pulmonary MALT lymphomas are positive for t(11;18)(q21;q21) [7]. This unique translocation is responsible for the creation of a fusion RNA transcript from the API2 (apoptosis inhibitor 2) and the MALT1 genes which induces activation of the NF-ĸB pathway resulting in cell proliferation [8, 9]. Unlike gastric MALT lymphoma which is associated with Helicobater pylori, MALT lymphoma of the lung has not been linked to any infectious or specific autoimmune conditions, although there have been case reports associated with tuberculosis [10]. Like gastric MALT lymphoma, it is postulated that pulmonary MALT lymphoma can progress to high-grade diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), however, this has not been well studied [1].

The clinical presentation is highly variable. Most patients are clinically asymptomatic or present with constitutional symptoms, cough, hemoptysis, or dyspnea; B-symptoms are uncommon. Median age at time of diagnosis is 60 years, however, it has also been diagnosed in younger individuals who are usually immunocompromised [2].One-third of patients have concurrent autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus and up to 40% of patients have monoclonal gammopathy as well [11].

NursingAnswers.net can help you!

Our nursing and healthcare experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have, from simple essay plans, through to full nursing dissertations.

View our services

Radiographic appearance is variable, ranging from consolidations to inconspicuous nodules or masses. The presence of ground glass opacities, air bronchograms, and bronchiectasis may confound the diagnosis suggesting an infectious or inflammatory process. Presence of air bronchograms is due to relative airway-sparing nature of the disease [2]. Hilar lymphadenopathy is present in approximately 30% of cases [12].

Histologic confirmation is required for definitive diagnosis and is characterized by reactive lymphoid follicles with diffuse infiltration by small lymphocytes and lymphoid proliferation which leads to expansion of the marginal zone; lymphoepithelial lesions (infiltrates of 5 or more neoplastic B-cells into the bronchial epithelium) support the diagnosis but are not required for diagnosis [2]. Lymphoepithelial lesions can be detected with immunohistochemical stains for cytokeratin (which highlights epithelial cells only but not lymphocytes) and CD20 (which highlights lymphocytes but not epithelial cells). As the MALT lymphoma grows, the bronchial wall and adjacent lung parenchyma can be replaced but necrosis or airway obstruction is rare [2].

Primary pulmonary MALT lymphoma is associated with a good prognosis; 5-year and 10-year survival rates are 90% and 70% respectively [13, 14]. Currently, there are no established guidelines for the management of pulmonary MZL. Considering the indolent course of disease, observation and treatment for symptomatic disease are both reasonable options. Treatment can be considered for symptomatic patients. Therapeutic options include surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Localized or peripheral lesions can be treated with surgical resection or moderate-dose radiation therapy [15, 16]. Patients with widespread disease not amenable to resection may be treated with single agent chemotherapy, such as rituximab, which has been shown to be effective [17]. Combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (CVP) can be considered as well [18]. There is no consensus on whether surgical resection is associated with better outcomes. Further prospective clinical research is greatly needed to determine the optimal treatment modality.

Conclusion:

Nonspecific presentation and indolent course makes the diagnosis of primary pulmonary lymphoma very challenging and often leads to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. This diagnosis should especially be suspected in individuals who present with lung nodules but lack usual risk factors for primary non-small cell and small cell lung cancer, similar to our patient.

References:

  1. Zhu Z, Liu W, Mamlouk O, O’Donnell JE, Sen D, Avezbakiyev B. Primary Pulmonary Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: A Case Report and Literature Review. Am J Case Rep. 2017;18:286-290. Published 2017 Mar 21. doi:10.12659/AJCR.901528
  2. Piña-Oviedo S, Weissferdt A, Kalhor N, Moran CA. Primary Pulmonary Lymphomas. Advances In Anatomic Pathology. 2015;22(6):355-375. doi:10.1097/pap.0000000000000090.
  3. Cadranel J, Wislez M, Antoine M. Primary pulmonary lymphoma. Eur Respir J. 2002;20(3):750–762.
  4. Rush WL, Andriko JA, Taubenberger JK, et al. Primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the lung: a clinicopathologic study of five patients. Mod Pathol. 2000;13(12):1285–1292.
  5. William J, Variakojis D, Yeldandi A, Raparia K. Lymphoproliferative Neoplasms of the Lung: A Review. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. 2013;137(3):382-391. doi:10.5858/arpa.2012-0202-ra.
  6. Nicholson AG, Harris NL. Marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type. In: Travis WD, Brambilla E, Muller-Hermelink HK, Harris CC, eds. WHO Classification of Tumours, Pathology and Genetics, Tumours of the Lung, Pleura, Thymus and Heart. Lyon: IARC Press; 2004:88–90.
  7. Remstein ED, Kurtin PJ, Einerson RR, et al. Primary pulmonary MALT lymphomas show frequent and heterogeneous cytogenetic abnormalities, including aneuploidy and translocations involving API2 and MALT1 and IGH and MALT1. Leukemia. 2004;18:156–160.
  8. Farinha P, Gascoyne RD. Molecular pathogenesis of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. J Clin Oncol. 2005;23:6370–6378.
  9. Isaacson PG. Update on MALT lymphomas. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol. 2005;18:57–68.
  10. Tiruneh F, Awan A, Amin R, Afreen S, Musa A, Davis W. A Rare Case of Pulmonary Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma Transforming into Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. Cureus. 2017. doi:10.7759/cureus.1373.
  11. Kurtin PJ, Myers JL, Adlakha H, et al. Pathologic and clinical features of primary pulmonary extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of MALT type. Am J Surg Pathol. 2001;25:997–1008.
  12. Hare SS, Souza CA, Bain G, et al. The radiological spectrum of pulmonary lymphoproliferative disease. Br J Radiol. 2012;85:848–864.
  13. Koss MN, Hochholzer L, Nichols PW, et al. Primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and pseudolymphoma of lung: a study of 161 patients. Hum Pathol. 1983;14:1024–1038.
  14. Cordier JF, Chailleux E, Lauque D, et al. Primary pulmonary lymphomas. A clinical study of 70 cases in nonimmunocompromised patients. Chest. 1993;103:201–208.
  15. Ahmed S, Kussick SJ, Siddiqui AK, et al. Bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: a clinical study of a rare disease. Eur J Cancer. 2004;40:1320–1326.
  16. Tsang RW, Gospodarowicz MK, Pintilie M, et al.:  Stage I and II MALT lymphoma: results of treatment with radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol. 2001, 50:1258-64.
  17. Okamura I, Imai H, Mori K, et al. Rituximab monotherapy as a first-line treatment for pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. Int J Hematol. 2015;101:46–51.
  18. Kim JH, Lee SH, Park J, et al.:  Primary pulmonary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2004, 34:510–514

 

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:

Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.

Related Services

View all

DMCA / Removal Request

If you are the original writer of this case study and no longer wish to have your work published on the NursingAnswers.net website then please: