Anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma presenting as a bladder neoplasm

Pathol Int. 2008 Apr;58(4):249-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1827.2008.02219.x.

Abstract

Malignant lymphoma presenting in the bladder has been classified in primary cases, as the first sign of disseminated disease and as a secondary infiltration. Most of the examples in the literature have been reported as single cases. Reported herein is the case of a 45-year-old man with an anaplastic large cell lymphoma (anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and granzyme B positive) that presented as a bladder neoplasm. The morphological differential diagnosis was complex because the EMA-positive immunophenotype, CD45 and CD3 negativity and the clinical manifestation simulated a transitional cell carcinoma. It is important to be aware of its existence because a poorly differentiated bladder carcinoma cannot be ruled out if CD30 and ALK immunostaining are not performed. T-cell receptor-gamma clonal rearrangement could be also helpful in these cases. Although bladder involvement by recurrent lymphoma is a sign of widely disseminated disease and it is associated with a very poor prognosis, it seems that chemotherapeutic regimens in this kind of ALK-positive lymphoma could be effective, given that the present patient had an impressive response to chemotherapy treatment.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / diagnosis*
  • Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / metabolism
  • Cisplatin / administration & dosage
  • Cytarabine / administration & dosage
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Etoposide / administration & dosage
  • Humans
  • Ki-1 Antigen / metabolism
  • Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic / diagnosis*
  • Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic / drug therapy
  • Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic / enzymology
  • Male
  • Methylprednisolone / administration & dosage
  • Middle Aged
  • Mucin-1 / metabolism
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / diagnosis*

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Ki-1 Antigen
  • Mucin-1
  • Cytarabine
  • Etoposide
  • ALK protein, human
  • Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Cisplatin
  • Methylprednisolone