Intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF and diagnosis of primary intraocular central nervous system lymphoma

Abstract

We report a case of primary intraocular central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma in a patient previously treated with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). An 88-year-old woman, with past medical history significant for bilateral age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with intravitreal ranibizumab injections for 1 year, was referred to our department for bilateral vitritis diagnosed 10 days after the last anti-VEGF injection. A complete uveitis work-up including aqueous humour analysis, brain MRI and vitreous biopsy enabled us to confirm the diagnosis of primary intraocular CNS lymphoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the diagnosis of primary intraocular CNS lymphoma in a patient treated with anti-VEGF for AMD. The differential diagnosis of vitritis in elderly patients is relatively broad. Endophthalmitis and uveitis have been described after anti-VEGF injections. In such a situation, there is actually a risk of missing the diagnosis of intraocular lymphoma in the mistaken belief that the observed vitritis may be a reaction to administered anti-VEGFs. If no direct time-relationship with the anti-VEGF injections can be found, a classic vitritis work-up should be performed. Our observation suggests that ranibizumab, at the dosage used for AMD, does not impede the spread of CNS lymphoma in the eye nor interfere with cytological diagnosis.