Ground-glass opacities and a solitary nodule on chest in intravascular large B-cell lymphoma

Abstract

A 74-year-old woman presented with dyspnea on exertion and nocturnal cough. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed scattered bilateral ground-glass opacities without a zonal dominance. Bronchoalveolar lavage elicited increased lymphocytes, but transbronchial lung biopsies were not performed because of hypoxemia during the examination. She received steroid therapy because of her subsequent worsening respiratory condition, but her condition continued to deteriorate. The ground-glass opacities partially consolidated with the appearance of new ground-glass opacities and a nodular shadow. Hepatosplenomegaly was observed on CT while soluble interleukin-2 receptor was elevated. A biopsy of a Campbell de Morgan spot of the trunk yielded a diagnosis of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma. There was marked clearing of the pulmonary infiltrates and significant symptomatic improvement in response to systemic chemotherapy.