Laparoscopic Ileocecal Resection of Primary Mucosa-associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma of the Appendix—A Case Report—

Abstract

A 79-year-old man presented with complaints of abdominal pain and fever. Computed tomography (CT) showed an enlarged appendix and swollen lymph nodes in the ileocecal artery region. He was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and treated with interval appendectomy. Follow-up CT one month later showed no significant changes in the lymphadenopathy and appendiceal enlargement. An appendiceal carcinoma was suspected, and laparoscopic ileocecal resection with D3 dissection was performed. The tumor was diagnosed pathologically as a primary appendiceal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and he remained alive without recurrence at 19 months post-surgery. MALT lymphoma is a low-grade malignant lymphoma arising from chronic inflammation. In terms of MALT lymphomas originating from digestive organs, there have been numerous reports of primary stomach tumors, but appendiceal MALT lymphomas are rare.