Bilateral primary adrenal diffuse large B cell lymphoma without adrenal insufficiency: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) is an infrequent malignant tumor, occurring in the bilateral adrenal glands as a mass in the majority of cases. The current study presents a case of bilateral primary adrenal diffuse large B cell lymphoma in a 52-year-old female patient, who presented with abdominal pain in the left lumbar region for ~2 weeks. Abdominal ultrasound examination and computed tomography scanning revealed a mass of 132×119×101 mm on the left adrenal gland and a mass of 53×27 mm on the right adrenal gland. A percutaneous biopsy was performed and histopathological examination further confirmed this lesion as diffuse large B cell lymphoma. The present study highlights the importance of early diagnosis of PAL, and performs a literature review of the subject.

Keywords: adrenal gland neoplasm; diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; primary adrenal lymphoma.

Figure 1.

Computed tomography images of adrenal masses prior to (A) and following (B-D) intravenous administration of contrast material. It revealed a mass of 132×119×101 mm on the left adrenal gland (asterisk) and a mass of 53×27 mm on the right adrenal gland (arrow).

Figure 2.

Microscopy revealed diffuse large lymphoid cells following percutaneous biopsy of the left adrenal gland (H&E staining; left panel, magnification ×100; right panel, ×400).