Case report

Reactive Lymphoid Hyperplasia of the liver in a patient with colon cancer: report of two cases

Hiroki Takahashi¹ , Hirozumi Sawai¹ , Yoichi Matsuo¹ , Hitoshi Funahashi¹ , Mikinori Satoh¹ , Yuji Okada¹ , Hiroshi Inagaki² , Hiromitsu Takeyama¹ and Tadao Manabe¹

¹  Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kawasumi 1, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Japan

²  Department of Pathology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kawasumi 1, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Japan

author email corresponding author email

BMC Gastroenterology 2006, 6:25doi:10.1186/1471-230X-6-25

Published:	12 September 2006

Abstract

Background

Reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH) of the liver is very rarely reported, and we encountered two cases of RLH of the liver in a patient with colon cancer.

Case presentation

In the first case, a 77-year-old woman was admitted for the surgical removal of a ascending colon cancer. A hepatic tumor in the left lobe was concurrently revealed by computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The appearance suggested liver metastasis. Right hemicolectomy and partial hepatectomy were performed. On histopathological examination, lymphoid follicles with germinal centers were seen in the tumor-like lesion, and remarkable lymphoid infiltration with germinal centers was seen in the portal area around the nodule. Immunohistochemical studies revealed polyclonality of infiltrating lymphocyte. Consequently, this nodular lesion was diagnosed as RLH of the liver. In the second case, a 64-year-old woman who had a radical right hemicolectomy for stage II ascending colon cancer 10 years ago was admitted with dysuria. A hepatic tumor in the left lobe was concurrently revealed by CT and MRI, suggesting hepatocellular carcinoma. A left lateral segmentectomy was performed. Microscopically, this lesion revealed the almost same findings as the first case, so this nodular lesion was diagnosed as RLH of the liver.

Conclusion

Our two cases were the first report of RLH of the liver accompanying colon cancer. Because there are a very few cases, so it is not clear whether the malignancies were involved in the onset of RLH. But we believe that new factors involved in the onset mechanism of RLH may be identified by carefully monitoring the clinical course of our two patients.