Association of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and hepatocellular carcinoma

Four patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) out of a group of 132 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are described. HCC was the most common second neoplasm in this series; in contrast, only 2 cases of HCC associated with NHL have been reported in the English literature. The diagnosis of HCC was suggested by ultrasound (US) and confirmed by ultrasonically guided fine-needle biopsy (UG-FNB). The 4 cases of HCC arose from cirrhosis. In this series, 10 out of 132 patients (7.6%) presented cirrhosis. Some considerations concerning the possible role of NHL (and/or the related therapy) in promoting the development of HCC in cirrhotic patients are discussed. The usefulness of US and of UG-FNB in the management of the patient with NHL is emphasized.