Pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: a case report and review of literature

Abstract

Objective To help improve the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma by reporting a case and reviewing relevant literature. Methods Clinical data of 1 case diagnosed with MALT lymphoma by pathology was retrospectively analyzed, and literature related to this disease was reviewed. Results An 80 year old male patient was admitted to the hospital for a pulmonary shadow, which had been diagnosed as primary bronchogenic carcinoma 5 years earlier without any treatment. The patient had a history of airway foreign body aspiration. During hospitalization, chest CT showed a pulmonary shadow larger than on a previous CT scan and signs of pleural effusion. A diagnosis of pulmonary MALT lymphoma was made through a percutaneous lung biopsy. Conclusions Primary MALT lymphoma is uncommon and pulmonary MALT lymphoma is even more rare and often shows untypical clinical presentations, which can be easily confused radiologically with those of lobar pneumonia and lung cancer. Pulmonary MALT lymphoma progresses slowly, has a high 5-year survival rate in untreated cases, and is often diagnosed based on anatomic pathology and immunohistochemistry. Key words: Lymphoma; Diagnosis