title: Retroperitoneal fibrosis due to B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Responding to rituximab!
abstract: Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare disease manifesting as chronic soft tissue fibrosis in the retroperitoneum, with potential anatomic and/or functional compromise of adjacent organs. It can be primary (idiopathic) or secondary to other conditions such as cancers, autoimmune disorders, or drugs. We report herein a 66-year-old patient with symptomatic retroperitoneal fibrosis leading to bilateral hydronephrosis and renal failure, in whom, after a complex diagnostic work-up and protracted clinical course, a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the retroperitoneal space and several vertebral bodies was identified. The patient was treated with radiation therapy and weekly rituximab infusions, with resolution of hydronephrosis and lower back pain. We include a thorough literature review on etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of retroperitoneal fibrosis. A meticulous search for malignancy is necessary in this rare condition that, if positive, may have significant therapeutic and prognostic implications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, USA Jalvarez@uchc.edu.
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alvarez Argote
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, USA.
authors.forename: Frank A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Posteraro
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology-Oncology, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, USA.
authors.forename: Constantin A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dasanu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D012185:Retroperitoneal Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D000069283:Rituximab / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab
keywords: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma; radiation therapy; retroperitoneal fibrosis; rituximab