Prolonged complete remission in a primary MALT lymphoma of the lung after rituximab monotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Primary pulmonary non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a rare entity. Despite its favorable prognosis, an optimal treatment approach has not been established until today, as there are few debated heterogeneous data in the literature. Many therapeutic options such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy alone or in combination, immunotherapy and/or immunochemotherapy all with similar results, have been reported.

CASE DESCRIPTION: We report the case of a 68-year-old man diagnosed with a primary marginal zone B-cell pulmonary NHL, with a durable complete response to rituximab monotherapy.

CONCLUSION: We support the therapeutic application of rituximab monotherapy as an attractive option for this malignancy. This effective approach exhibits significant antitumor activity leading to long-term complete remission and minimal hematological toxicity in contrast to other intensive chemotherapies and/or radiotherapy, which might have serious side effects. HIPPOKRATIA 2017, 21(2): 108-110.