A vast retroperitoneal mass and autoimmune haemolytic anemia

• Main Authors: Fabio Di Stefano, Salvatore Nicolai, Oscar Pesa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PAGEPress Publications 2013-04-01
• Series: Italian Journal of Medicine
• Subjects: Autoimmune haemolytic anemia; Paraneoplastic syndromes; Lymphomas.
• Online Access: http://www.italjmed.org/index.php/ijm/article/view/262

CLINICAL CASE We report a 64 year-old patient with fatigue and intermittent fever. Laboratory investigations revealed autoimmune haemolytic anemia. An abdomen CT scan showed a retroperitoneal mass near the left kidney. The CT scan guided mass biopsy was performed and its histology was diagnostic for a non Hodgkin B cell lymphoma. <br />CONCLUSIONS The case describes autoimmume haemolytic anemia as a paraneoplastic syndrome associated with lymphoma. Autoimmume haemolytic anemia is a frequent paraneoplastic syndrome of lymphoproliferative disorders. The onset can be concomitant to the diagnosis of leukemia/lymphoma or follows the course of these neoplastic diseases or less frequently occurs years in advance.