Spontaneous adrenal haemorrhage as a manifestation of isolated relapse of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Retroperitoneal haemorrhage due to metastatic disease is a rare event not previously reported in lymphomas. We describe a 36-year-old woman diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of bone marrow, liver and spleen presenting in the leukaemic phase. The patient attained complete remission after 'ALL-like' chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, adriamycin, dexamethasone); 22 months later, she developed an isolated central nervous system (CNS) relapse which was successfully managed with a combination of chemotherapy and CNS irradiation. Six months later, she was rehospitalized because of abdominal pain; an MRI revealed a large haemorrhagic mass in the left adrenal. Surgical removal of the lesion confirmed an adrenal relapse of the primary DLBCL.
(Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel)