An atypical presentation of an ovarian lymphoma: a case report

Abstract Background Ovarian lymphoma has a varied clinical presentation and rarely presents with heavy menstrual bleeding. It may occur de novo or secondary to systemic disease and macroscopically appear as solid ovarian tumors. Case presentation A 32-year-old Tamil woman presented with heavy menstrual bleeding of 4 months’ duration. On examination she was anemic with no lymphadenopathy. A large immobile pelvic mass and three firm nodules were found involving her vaginal walls. Ultrasonography suggested a fibroid uterus with two large pedunculated fibroids. Following preoperative optimization an endometrial sampling and biopsy of the nodules were done. Subsequently, histology revealed proliferative phase endometrium. The vaginal nodules showed lymphoid tissue. She presented a week later with an undulating fever and features of acute abdomen with clinical evidence of ascites. During an emergency laparotomy two large solid ovarian masses, gross ascites, pelvic lymph nodes, para-aortic lymph nodes, mesenteric lymph nodes, omental deposits, and a 24-week-size uterus were found. Bilateral oophorectomy was done. Laboratory investigations revealed raised lactate dehydrogenase with normal serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin, alpha-fetoprotein, and cancer antigen-125 levels. Histology of ovarian specimens revealed a diffuse large B cell lymphoma. A bone marrow biopsy revealed more than 80% infiltration with lymphoid cells. Two weeks after the laparotomy a computed tomography of her chest, abdomen, and pelvis revealed a pelvic mass, gross ascites, omental deposits, hepatosplenomegaly, and enlarged lymph nodes above and below her diaphragm. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of B cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. She was classified as stage IV E non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma on the Ann Arbor staging system. Conclusion This is an atypical presentation of an ovarian lymphoma. The atypical presentations of ovarian lymphomas can lead to diagnostic dilemmas

Factors associated with nonresponse to ovulation induction using letrozole among women with World Health Organization group II anovulation

Context: Letrozole, a third generation aromatase inhibitor is gaining importance in ovulation induction. Some prefer to use it as a second line agent in women who fail to respond to clomifene citrate. However, our knowledge about the predictors of response to letrozole is limited. Aims: The study was aimed at identifying the factors associated with letrozole resistance among women with World Health Organization (WHO) group II anovulation. Subjects and Methods: Study was conducted at the infertility clinic at a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka. A case-control study design was used and included 50 subjects with WHO group II anovulation (25 clomifene responsive and 25 clomifene resistant). After a treatment cycle of letrozole, the factors were compared between the subjects who responded and those who failed to respond to treatment. Results: Ovulation was achieved in 76% (n = 19) of subjects who had responded to clomifene previously and in 24% (n = 6) with clomifene resistance. The factors associated with letrozole resistance included the presence of hirsutism (odds ratio [OR]: 3.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-12.3) and clomifene resistance (OR: 10.03; 95% CI: 2.81-35.7). The early follicular phase mean (standard deviation) luteinizing hormone level was significantly higher among the nonresponders (9.75 [4.78] - 7.28 [2.3]; P = 0.02). Nonresponders showed significantly lower levels of oestradiol on the 5 th and 9 th days (28.50 [3.39] pg/mL vs. 7.49 [3.62] pg/mL; P = 0.0007 and 142.04 [76.22] pg/mL vs. 28.10 [12.8] pg/mL; P = 0.0001) of the menstrual cycle, respectively. Conclusions: The features associated with resistance to Letrozole at a dose of 2.5 mg show some overlap with those associated with clomifene resistance. However, some features do not show similar association. The effectiveness of letrozole at a dose of 2.5 mg in induction of ovulation among women with clomifene resistance is low and it does not seem to be a suitable treatment at a dose of 2.5 mg for this indication