title: Acute liver failure as the sole manifestation of relapsing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
abstract: Acute liver failure due to hepatic involvement by haematological malignancies is very rare, and usually has a rapidly fatal prognosis. We describe the case of a man who was treated for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and achieved a complete remission after eight courses of chemotherapy. He then presented with acute liver failure. Transjugular liver biopsy revealed massive infiltration by lymphomatous cells, with extensive necrosis. A CT scan did not show any evidence of extrahepatic lymphoma. The patient recovered from the liver failure following combined immuno-chemotherapy. Recurrence of the disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with haematological malignancies and acute liver failure, even without evidence of extrahepatic involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Shaare Zedek Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Morali
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rozenmann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ashkenazi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Munter
authors.forename: D Z
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Braverman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000209:etiology*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence