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Long-term remission after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for relapsed intravascular lymphoma

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 37, pages 233–234 (2006)Cite this article

Intravascular lymphoma (IVL), previously described as ‘angiotropic lymphoma’, is a rare lymphoma, classified as a subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the World Health Organization classification.1 It is pathologically characterized by the presence of lymphoma cells only in the lumina of small vessels, particularly the capillaries, and by the absence of overt lymphadenopathy and tumor formation. Its clinical manifestations are nonspecific and result from the occlusion of vessels by lymphoma cells.2, 3 Case studies of IVL in Europe have indicated that IVL most commonly presents as skin lesions with plaques and nodules or with neurological abnormalities, including dementia and focal symptoms. Recently, IVL in the absence of cutaneous lesions or neurological abnormalities has been reported, mostly in East Asia.4, 5 The clinical manifestations of IVL are highly variable. Thus, it is difficult to determine the definite diagnosis in many cases.

Owing to the difficulty of antemortem diagnosis, little information is available about the treatment of IVL. Upfront or salvage autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT) is an attractive therapeutic option in malignant lymphoma. Auto-PBSCT probably improves IVL patient outcomes, but only a small number of case reports with short-term follow-up have been reported.6, 7

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology, Toyohashi Municipal Hospital, Toyohashi, Japan

    A Sawamoto, H Narimatsu, S Kurahashi, T Sugimoto & I Sugiura

  2. Department of Nephrology, Gamagori City Hospital, Gamagori, Japan

    T Suzuki

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  1. A Sawamoto
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  2. H Narimatsu
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  3. T Suzuki
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  4. S Kurahashi
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  5. T Sugimoto
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  6. I Sugiura
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Sawamoto, A., Narimatsu, H., Suzuki, T. et al. Long-term remission after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for relapsed intravascular lymphoma. Bone Marrow Transplant 37, 233–234 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1705220

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