Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
07:43
Laparoscopic S7 Hepatectomy with Positive Fluorescence Staining
Published on: May 9, 2025
972
Primary hepatic lymphoma: a challenging diagnosis
D Myoteri1, D Dellaportas2, E Arkoumani1
1Pathology Department, Tzaneion General Hospital, 185 36 Piraeus, Greece.
Case Reports in Oncological Medicine
|June 21, 2014
Summary
Primary hepatic lymphoma (PHL) is a rare liver cancer that is challenging to diagnose. This case highlights a PHL presentation mimicking metastatic disease, emphasizing the need for prompt biopsy for accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Primary hepatic lymphoma (PHL) is an uncommon extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Diagnosis is often delayed due to nonspecific symptoms and rarity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review an intriguing case of PHL presenting with cholestatic jaundice.
- To discuss the key characteristics of this rare malignancy.
Main Methods:
- Case report of a 70-year-old male with right upper quadrant pain and jaundice.
- Diagnostic workup included liver function tests, tumor markers, CT-scan, and CT-guided biopsy.
- Treatment involved chemotherapy.
Main Results:
- CT revealed multiple hypodense liver nodules, initially suspected as metastases.
- Biopsy confirmed primary diffuse large B-cells non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Chemotherapy led to significant clinical improvement.
Conclusions:
- PHL is rare, accounting for <1% of extranodal lymphomas.
- Definitive diagnosis requires liver to be the primary or dominant site of lymphoma.
- Most PHLs are B-cell type, often diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
