Low-grade B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue arising in the thymus. A thymic lymphoma mimicking myoepithelial sialadenitis

Abstract

We describe two cases of primary low-grade B-cell lymphoma of the thymus that showed histological features of low-grade B-cell lymphoma arising in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). The appearance most closely resembled MALT lymphoma arising in myoepithelial sialadenitis (MESA). In both cases, the tumor was excised. In one case, there has been no recurrence in 4 years of follow-up without treatment; in the second case, the tumor has involved an axillary lymph node. Immunohistochemistry showed light-chain restriction in both cases, and the B-cell phenotype was similar to that previously described in MALT lymphomas. The occurrence of MALT lymphoma in the thymus is consistent with the presence of mucosal structures (Hassall's corpuscles) and with recent descriptions of a native B-cell population in this organ. The relationship of this previously undescribed thymic low-grade B-cell MALT lymphoma with the more common high-grade B-cell lymphoma arising in the thymus has not yet been clarified.