Duodenal-type follicular lymphoma more than 10 years after treatment intervention: A retrospective single-center analysis

Makoto Saito; Akio Mori; Shihori Tsukamoto; Takashi Ishio; Emi Yokoyama; Koh Izumiyama; Masanobu Morioka; Takeshi Kondo; Hirokazu Sugino

doi:10.4251/wjgo.v14.i8.1552

Duodenal-type follicular lymphoma more than 10 years after treatment intervention: A retrospective single-center analysis

World J Gastrointest Oncol. 2022 Aug 15;14(8):1552-1561. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v14.i8.1552.

Authors

Makoto Saito¹, Akio Mori², Shihori Tsukamoto², Takashi Ishio², Emi Yokoyama², Koh Izumiyama², Masanobu Morioka², Takeshi Kondo², Hirokazu Sugino³

Affiliations

¹ Blood Disorders Center, Aiiku Hospital, Sapporo 064-0804, Japan. ikyoku@aiiku-hp.or.jp.
² Blood Disorders Center, Aiiku Hospital, Sapporo 064-0804, Japan.
³ Department of Cancer Pathology, Hokkaido University, Faculty of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Duodenal-type follicular lymphoma (D-FL) has been recognized as a rare entity that accounts for approximately 4% of primary gastrointestinal lymphomas. D-FL follows an indolent clinical course compared with common nodal FL and is generally considered to have a better prognosis. Therefore, the "watch and wait" approach is frequently adopted as the treatment method. Alternatively, there is an option to actively intervene in D-FL. However, the long-term outcomes of such cases are poorly understood.

Aim: To clarify the clinical outcomes after long-term follow-up in cases of D-FL with treatment intervention.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who met the following criteria: the lesion was confirmed by endoscopy, the diagnosis of D-FL was confirmed histopathologically, and the patient was followed-up for more than 10 years after the intervention at our center.

Results: We identified 5 cases of D-FL. Two patients showed a small amount of bone marrow involvement (Stage IV). Rituximab was used as a treatment for remission in all 5 patients. It was also used in combination with chemotherapy in 2 Stage IV patients as well as for maintenance treatment. Radiation therapy was performed in 2 cases, which was followed by complete remission (CR). Eventually, all 5 patients achieved CR and survived for more than 10 years. However, 3 patients experienced recurrence. One patient achieved a second CR by retreatment, and in another case, the lesion showed spontaneous disappearance. The remaining patient had systemic widespread recurrence 13 years after the first CR. Biopsy results suggested that the FL lesions were transformed into diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient died 4 years later despite receiving various chemotherapies.

Conclusion: In this study, the treatment for patients of D-FL in Stage IV was successful. In the future, criteria for how to treat "advanced" D-FL should be established based on additional cases. This study of patients with D-FL indicates that whole-body follow-up examinations should continue for a long time due to a fatal recurrence 13 years after reaching CR.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Duodenal-type follicular lymphoma; Long-term follow-up; Radiation; Rituximab; Treatment.