A searchable database of
medically documented cases

About the Project

Case Report: Spontaneous Remission Of An Infraorbital Follicular B-cell Lymphoma: Case Report And Review Of The Literature

Peeters, M. 2021Lymphoma

Peeters, M., Geusens, J., Van der Cruyssen, F., Michaux, L., de Leval, L., Tousseyn, T., Vandenberghe, P., & Politis, C. (2021). Case Report: Spontaneous Remission of an Infraorbital Follicular B-Cell Lymphoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature. Pathology oncology research : POR, 27, 642433. https://doi.org/10.3389/pore.2021.642433

View Original Source →

Abstract

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas comprise a heterogeneous group of malignancies, with a wide scope of clinical, radiological and histological presentations. In this paper, a case is presented of a 59-year-old white male with an infraorbital follicular B-cell lymphoma, which appeared as a painless mass in the left cheek. The lymphoma achieved spontaneous remission five and a half months after his diagnostic incision biopsy. The literature is reviewed, focusing on this rare site of presentation and spontaneous remission. In literature, only four cases have been reported with a follicular B-cell lymphoma of the cheek or infraorbital region, and only 26 cases of spontaneous remission of an extracranial non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the head and neck region have been described. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first time spontaneous remission of an infraorbital follicular lymphoma could be observed. The nature of the processes inducing spontaneous remission remains obscure. It is important to recognize this phenomenon as this might prevent unnecessary treatment.

Case Details

Disease Location

Cheek

Personal Characteristics

59-year-old white male, history of recurrent vestibulopathy, vitreous floaters, protein s deficiency, and two episodes of popliteal vein thrombosis, in 1999 and 2006. He was taking atorvastatin and rivaroxaban daily

Clinical Characteristics

Referred for evaluation of a left infraorbital mass. The mass presented two months earlier as a small nodule, rapidly increasing in size over a period of two days. Clinical examination revealed an infraorbital, mobile mass measuring 4 × 2 cm. Biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of b-cell follicular lymphoma, grade 1-2, bcl-2 positive, with bcl2-gene rearrangement, with numerous intrafollicular follicular t-helper cells.

Remission Characteristics

5.5 months later, a new image revealed a complete and spontaneous remission of the tumor mass

Treatment & Mechanisms

Proposed Remission Mechanisms

A large number of t-follicular helper cells (tfh) found in the biopsy were associated with a spontaneous regression

Clinical Treatment

Biopsy

Non-Clinical Treatment

None reported