Abstract
Background. We report a case of MALT (mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue) lymphoma that presented with macroglobulinemia, and which was diagnosed by bronchoscopy. Case. A 68-year-old man went to his primary care physician, and a chest X-ray film showed an abnormal shadow, at a medical checkup 7 years before his first visit to our hospital. His physician advised him to return for follow-up, but he did not, because he had no symptoms at that time. Three months before his first visit to our hospital, he felt exertional dyspnea, and, 1 month before, he developed a productive cough. He was admitted because of hypoxemia, and his chest X-ray film demonstrated right pleural effusion and bilateral consolidated areas. Many atypical lymphocytes, differentiating into plasma-like cells, were identified on blood and pleural effusion examinations. He was given a diagnosis of having MALT lymphoma on the basis of lung biopsy tissue specimen results t (11; 18) (q21; q21) obtained by bronchoscopy. He responded very well to plasmapheresis and chemotherapy. Conclusion. Most MALT lymphomas develop in the gastrointestinal tract, but in some cases it develops in the lung and progresses slowly. Furthermore, pulmonary MALT lymphoma presenting with macroglobulinemia is rare.
