Primary Intramedullary Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma Mimicking a Spinal Meningioma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas account for only 0.3 to 1.5% of all central nervous neoplasms and are mainly subdivided in B-cell and T-cell lymphomas. Primary spinal involvement of PNCLS is a very rare disease, most being metastatic. We report a rare case of a 62-yearold male with a short history of progressive paraparesis. MRI of the spine showed a homogeneous contrast enhanced tumor mass with dural attachment, assuming a spinal meningioma. During surgery the tumor appeared diffusely grown into the spinal cord without detectable margins. Histological work-up brought up the diagnosis of a diffuse large B-cell-lymphoma (DLBCL). We illustrate the diagnostic steps and pitfalls and highlight the multimodal therapy and oncological features of this rare disease.