Background: The incidence of extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) is low, at 7-8% of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases. The most common site of MALT lymphoma occurrence is the stomach. Primary hepatic extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of MALT is classified as a type of non-gastric MALT lymphoma and is considered extremely rare, with no consensus on imaging study findings or treatment due to a limited number of reports. We herein describe a rare case of primary hepatic extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of MALT with underlying hepatitis B infection (HBV) and present useful diagnostic findings of various imaging modalities, including contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with Sonazoid.
Case presentation: A 66-year-old woman was diagnosed as being a non-active carrier of HBV at 51 years of age at the time of total hysterectomy and bilateral adnexectomy for uterine cervical cancer. She was admitted to our hospital following the incidental detection of two focal liver lesions on computed tomography. The lesions were considered malignant based on clinical and other radiologic imaging findings. Her CEUS results of hypo-enhancement in the portal and late phases were consistent with those of previously reported cases of hepatic extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of MALT, and histological liver biopsy findings were compatible with the diagnosis.
Conclusions: Primary hepatic extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of MALT is a rare condition that can appear in HBV carriers. Characteristic CEUS findings may help in disease diagnosis. Clinicians should bear primary hepatic extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of MALT in mind when encountering patients with focal liver lesions which exhibit image findings different from those of typical hepatocellular carcinoma.
Keywords: chronic hepatitis B virus infection; contrast-enhanced ultrasonography; primary hepatic MALT lymphoma.