Case Reports in Oncology (Nov 2010)

Vaginal Lymphoma with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura: An Unusual Case Report

  • Akiko Ikuta,
  • Yoshiaki Tanaka,
  • Tomoko Tsuzuki,
  • Shoko Tsuji,
  • Genichiro Sumi,
  • Tomomi Mizokami,
  • Hisahide Sugimoto,
  • Nobuaki Shikata,
  • Katsuhiko Yasuda,
  • Yorihiko Horikoshi,
  • Hideharu Kanzaki

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1159/000289447
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 3
pp. 397 – 405

Abstract

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The female genital tract is rarely the initial site of presentation in lymphoma or leukemia. We report a case of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) presenting initially in the vagina. The patient, a 75-year-old woman, had a history of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). She presented with a chief complaint of genital bleeding and introital pain. On transvaginal ultrasonography, a vaginal tumor with an irregular wall was detected, and the internal echo showed a hypoechoic and echogenic pattern. Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested that the vaginal tumor was likely to be a hematoma or a hemorrhagic tumor arising from ITP. Incision and resection for a hematoma or a hemorrhagic tumor were carried out in response to genital bleeding, introital pain, and pathological diagnosis. Postoperative microscopic examination confirmed that the tumor was a vaginal NHL. The final diagnosis using the Ann Arbor staging system was high-stage (stage IV) NHL. The patient received chemotherapy, and she remains in remission for 42 months after treatment.

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