Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2016 Aug 31;8(8):e761.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.761.

Spontaneous Resolution of Chylothorax-Associated Lymphoma Treated with External Beam Radiotherapy: A Case Report and Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Joanna M Laba  1 , Timothy K Nguyen  2 , R Gabriel Boldt  3 , Alexander V Louie  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Spontaneous Resolution of Chylothorax-Associated Lymphoma Treated with External Beam Radiotherapy: A Case Report and Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Joanna M Laba et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Chylothorax is a rare complication of advanced lymphoma. We present the case of an 80-year-old man diagnosed with B cell lymphoma presenting with a right chylothorax secondary to a large retroperitoneal mass. His disease was not responsive to initial treatment with chemotherapy. Fractionated radiotherapy to a dose of 2,000 cGy in five fractions was delivered to the retroperitoneal mass, and the chylothorax improved significantly within days of initiation of treatment.

Keywords: chylothorax; lymphoma; radiotherapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Axial CT showing a large retroperitoneal mass with encasement of the aorta
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chylothorax: Aetiology, diagnosis and therapeutic options. McGrath EE, Blades Z, Anderson PB. Respir Med. 2010;104:1–8. - PubMed
    1. Aetiology and management of chylothorax in adults. Nair SK, Petko M, Hayward MP. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2007;32:362–369. - PubMed
    1. Nutritional support in adults with chyle leaks. Sriram K, Meguid RA, Meguid MM. Nutrition. 2016;32:281–286. - PubMed
    1. The management of chylothorax. Valentine VG, Raffin TA. Chest. 1992;102:586–591. - PubMed
    1. Chylothorax in lymphoma: Mechanisms and management. O'Callaghan AM, Mead GM. Ann Oncol. 1995;6:603–607. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources