Report of elderly man with mantle cell lymphoma in addition to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
TUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For elderly adults diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, endoscopic evaluation may be recommended even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms, according to a letter to the editor published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Sebahat Basyigit, M.D., from the Kecioren Research and Training Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, and colleagues describe a case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in an 87-year-old man admitted to the emergency department complaining of fatigue and chronic constipation.
The researchers note that the patient had no significant medical or family history. His physical examination was generally normal except for palpable cervical, axillary, and inguinal lymph nodes. Hemoglobin was 13.8 g/dL, white blood count 16,600/µL, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate 50 mm/L per hour. A conglomerated lymphadenopathy 3 cm in diameter was seen on abdominal computed tomography near the mesenteric artery. According to histopathological examination of the axillary lymph node, the patient was diagnosed with DLBCL. Based on chronic constipation and mesenteric lymph node enlargement, the patient underwent rectosigmoidoscopy. Multiple white-bellied nodules were identified in the rectosigmoid junction; findings from histopathologic examination of colonic biopsy specimens were consistent with mantle cell lymphoma.
“Endoscopic evaluation may be recommended in elderly adults diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma even if they do not have severe gastrointestinal complaints,” the authors write.
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