Medknow Publications on behalf of the Association of Radiation Oncologists of India (AROI)
Abstract
Background: Isolated primary pancreatic lymphoma (PPL) is a rare
extra-lymphatic non-Hodgkin\u2032s lymphoma comprising less than 1% of
all extra-lymphatic lymphomas. It is seen in people of advanced age and
there is a slight male preponderance. It is difficult to diagnose; the
vague presenting symptoms and nonspecific laboratory/radiological
findings make it difficult to differentiate the condition from
pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Histopathological examination is of
paramount importance to conclusively establish the diagnosis since the
treatment involves lymphoma protocols, and prognosis and survival in
PPL are considerably superior to that in adenocarcinoma pancreas. Case
Report: We report a case of isolated PPL diagnosed after Tru-Cut biopsy
and immunohistochemistry after a thorough staging workup. Result: The
patient was treated with multi-agent combination chemotherapy followed
by radiotherapy. Discussion: A review of literature was done using a
Medline search to determine the incidence and prevalence of isolated
PPL and to note the diagnosis and management of previously reported
cases. Conclusion: An exceedingly rare entity, isolated PPLs need to be
differentiated from pancreatic adenocarcinomas by histopathological
evaluation since management is on the lines of other extralymphatic
lymphomas and prognosis is significantly better