Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Sep 16, 2022; 10(26): 9470-9477
Published online Sep 16, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i26.9470
Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration confirmed by needle biopsy of the liver: A case report
Han-Jin Yang, Zhao-Ming Wang
Han-Jin Yang, Zhao-Ming Wang, Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Yang HJ reviewed the literature and contributed to manuscript drafting; Wang ZM was responsible for revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; all authors issued final approval for the version to be submitted.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patients for the publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhao-Ming Wang, MD, PhD, Doctor, Professor, Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China. wangzhaoming1963@163.com
Received: April 30, 2022
Peer-review started: April 30, 2022
First decision: May 30, 2022
Revised: June 12, 2022
Accepted: August 1, 2022
Article in press: August 1, 2022
Published online: September 16, 2022
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration (BLL-11q) is a rare provisional lymphoma, and the majority of cases are usually diagnosed by excisional lymph node biopsy. Here we report a case of BLL-11q diagnosed by needle biopsy of the liver in order to improve further understanding of the disease, reduce misdiagnosis, and identify treatment regimens.

CASE SUMMARY

The patient was a 67-year-old male. He complained of increased frequency of stools for more than one year, periumbilical pain and discomfort exceeding 3 mo. A computed tomography scan suggested an appendiceal malignant tumor with multiple metastases of the peritoneum, omentum, and liver. Needle biopsy of liver nodules showed that the tumor cells were of median size, the shape was consistent, a small number of tumor cells were large, the “starry sky” pattern was evident, and some tissue cells showed multiple apoptotic debris with coarse particles. Immunohistochemistry was positive for CD20, CD10, BCL6, and MYC. The Ki-67 proliferation index was more than 95%. Molecular biological detection indicated a lack of MYC, BCL2 and BCL6 gene rearrangement with 11q aberration. Therefore, the diagnosis was BLL-11q of the liver. After eight courses of chemotherapy, the abdominal and pelvic peritoneal masses and liver nodules had almost disappeared. The patient recovered well after a follow-up period of more than 13 mo.

CONCLUSION

BLL-11q is rare, but patients treated with standard chemotherapy for Burkitt lymphoma can have a good prognosis. Reducing the dose of chemotherapy or developing specific therapies to prevent overtreatment may be considered, but more case studies are needed.

Keywords: Burkitt-like lymphoma, Pathology, Molecular, 11q aberration, Apoptotic debris, Case report

Core Tip: Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration (BLL-11q) is an uncommon lymphoma and is diagnosed by lymph node biopsy. We report a patient with BLL-11q, who presented with predominant digestive tract symptoms. The clinical consideration was colorectal cancer with multiple metastases. The diagnosis was confirmed by needle biopsy of liver nodules, and phagocytosis with a large number of coarse particles was found on pathological morphology, which suggested the diagnosis of BLL-11q. The patient was cured with chemotherapy and recovered well.