Diagnostic Challenges of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Case Report and Literature Review

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare variety of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with diverse morphologic variants. Due to the similarity of the different variants with other lymphoma entities, misdiagnosis may be inevitable when immunohistochemical and cytogenetic techniques are not available and...

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Main Authors: Oluomachi Charity Nnachi, Innocent Paul Ezenwenyi, Augustine Ejike Okoye, Chinedu Obasi Akpa, Chukwuma Joseph Uzoigwe, Gabriel Chima Ugwu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Hematology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6677638
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author Oluomachi Charity Nnachi
Innocent Paul Ezenwenyi
Augustine Ejike Okoye
Chinedu Obasi Akpa
Chukwuma Joseph Uzoigwe
Gabriel Chima Ugwu
author_facet Oluomachi Charity Nnachi
Innocent Paul Ezenwenyi
Augustine Ejike Okoye
Chinedu Obasi Akpa
Chukwuma Joseph Uzoigwe
Gabriel Chima Ugwu
author_sort Oluomachi Charity Nnachi
collection DOAJ
description Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare variety of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with diverse morphologic variants. Due to the similarity of the different variants with other lymphoma entities, misdiagnosis may be inevitable when immunohistochemical and cytogenetic techniques are not available and histology alone is employed. We report a case of a 43-year-old woman with a seven-month history of neck swelling which was complicated by ulceration of the mass and pathological fracture of the right clavicle after two months delay in arriving at a correct diagnosis. Several attempts to arrive at definitive diagnosis using histology alone gave divergent reports which all misdiagnosed the case until it was sent to a facility outside the country. Our report highlights the limitations and challenges of histology in making a definitive diagnosis of ALCL and the overt importance of immunohistochemical and cytogenetic techniques which are largely unavailable in resource-constrained environment typical of tertiary centers in Nigeria and most sub-Saharan Africa countries.
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language English
publishDate 2021-01-01
publisher Wiley
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series Case Reports in Hematology
spelling doaj-art-bb1416e8b161446eb4c9fb03c6b7aa852025-08-20T02:19:11ZengWileyCase Reports in Hematology2090-65602090-65792021-01-01202110.1155/2021/66776386677638Diagnostic Challenges of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Case Report and Literature ReviewOluomachi Charity Nnachi0Innocent Paul Ezenwenyi1Augustine Ejike Okoye2Chinedu Obasi Akpa3Chukwuma Joseph Uzoigwe4Gabriel Chima Ugwu5Department of Haematology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, NigeriaDepartment of Haematology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, NigeriaDepartment of Haematology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, NigeriaDepartment of Haematology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, NigeriaDepartment of Histopathology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, NigeriaDepartment of Haematology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, NigeriaAnaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare variety of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with diverse morphologic variants. Due to the similarity of the different variants with other lymphoma entities, misdiagnosis may be inevitable when immunohistochemical and cytogenetic techniques are not available and histology alone is employed. We report a case of a 43-year-old woman with a seven-month history of neck swelling which was complicated by ulceration of the mass and pathological fracture of the right clavicle after two months delay in arriving at a correct diagnosis. Several attempts to arrive at definitive diagnosis using histology alone gave divergent reports which all misdiagnosed the case until it was sent to a facility outside the country. Our report highlights the limitations and challenges of histology in making a definitive diagnosis of ALCL and the overt importance of immunohistochemical and cytogenetic techniques which are largely unavailable in resource-constrained environment typical of tertiary centers in Nigeria and most sub-Saharan Africa countries.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6677638
spellingShingle Oluomachi Charity Nnachi
Innocent Paul Ezenwenyi
Augustine Ejike Okoye
Chinedu Obasi Akpa
Chukwuma Joseph Uzoigwe
Gabriel Chima Ugwu
Diagnostic Challenges of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Case Report and Literature Review
Case Reports in Hematology
title Diagnostic Challenges of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_full Diagnostic Challenges of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_fullStr Diagnostic Challenges of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_full_unstemmed Diagnostic Challenges of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_short Diagnostic Challenges of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Case Report and Literature Review
title_sort diagnostic challenges of anaplastic large cell lymphoma in a resource limited setting a case report and literature review
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6677638
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