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Partial regression of vitreoretinal lymphoma after fine needle aspiration biopsy
Gregory L Fenton1, Carol L Shields, Noel Horgan
1From the *Ocular Oncology Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia; and the †Department of Pathology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Purpose:
To report a case of regression of vitreoretinal lymphoma after fine-needle aspiration biopsy.
Methods:
Interventional case report.
Results:
A 72-year-old woman with a history of systemic non-Hodgkin lymphoma noted difficulty focusing with the right eye and was found to have multiple yellow sub-retinal pigment epithelium (sub-RPE) infliltrates. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy disclosed large atypical lymphocytes consistent with large-cell lymphoma. Four weeks after biopsy, the sub-RPE lesions resolved without additional treatment. Three months later, the tumors recurred. The patient received systemic chemotherapy, and her condition remained stable without brain involvement at the 2-year follow-up.
Conclusion:
Fine-needle aspiration biopsy can induce temporary regression of vitreoretinal lymphoma. Patients with vitreoretinal lymphoma should have regular systemic follow-up examinations due to the risk of central nervous system recurrence.
