Primary Hepatic Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas: Case Report and Review of the Literature

A 31-yr-old man presented with a 1-wk history of fever, chills, weakness, headaches, and a significant 20-1b weight loss over the preceding 2 months. His past medical history was relevant for liver amebiasis during childhood. Two days before admission, the patient noticed jaundice. He denied abdominal pain or other GI symptoms, and there was no history of alcohol intake, medications, or illicit drugs. His physical examination revealed generalized jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, and bilateral leg edema. Neurologically, the patient was agitated, with periods of disorientation, and he had bilateral flapping. His blood tests revealed pancytopenia, renal failure, liver failure, and coagulopathy. Because the patient had a fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia, a further workup also included a bone marrow and liver biopsy. No conclusive diagnosis could be made from the above tests, and the patient died 5 days after admission. Postmortem evaluation, including flow cytometry and gene rearrangement in the tissue obtained from the liver, revealed large B cell lymphoma. This case illustrates an unusual presentation of hepatic non-Hogdkin's lymphoma. Current information regarding this entity is scant, mainly owing to its rarity. We present a review of the literature, including the incidence, presentation, treatment, and prognosis of primary hepatic lymphoma.