2017 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 136-141
Background. Malignant lymphoma of lung origin is a rare disease. Its frequency is about 0.4% of all malignant lymphomas, and no more than 0.5-1.0% of all lung cancer. We report a case of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma of lung origin. Case. A 69-year-old woman complained of cough and dyspnea. The chest radiograph in a local clinic showed widely spread consolidation and pleural effusion in the right lung field. She was given antibiotics for a week after consulting our hospital, but consolidation was exacerbated. Right pleural effusion was increased, so chest drainage was done. IgM was elevated in the serum, and IgM λ type M protein was detected by immunoelectrophoresis. In bronchoscopy, lymphocytes elevated in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and CD20 positive lymphocytes infiltrated lung tissue with formation of lymphoepithelial lesion gained by trans-bronchial lung biopsy. Later, CD20 positive lymphocytes elevated in pleural effusion, and we regarded them as detected in the lung tissue. Superiority of λ type were proved in flow cytometry, and we diagnosed MALT lymphoma of lung origin. Conclusion. MALT lymphoma of lung origin is a rare disease. We suspected bacterial infection at first, but diagnosed MALT lymphoma of lung origin.
