A case of pulmonary intravascular lymphoma treated with CHOP chemotherapy plus rituximab

We report a case of pulmonary intravascular lymphoma of large B cell type in a 72-year-old woman. She had a one-month history of fever and dry cough before admission. Chest X-ray revealed ground glass shadow in both lung fields, and the high-resolution CT disclosed centrilobular distribution of ground glass opacities. Transbronchial lung biopsy demonstrated large lymphoid cells in the capillaries of alveolar septa. The tumor cells showed strong immunohistochemical reactivity to CD 20. After combined treatment with CHOP and rituximab, clinical symptoms, laboratory and radiological findings were improved. As with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, CHOP chemotherapy plus rituximab may prove useful as a standard regimen for pulmonary intravascular lymphoma.