Eye
Conjunctiva
Hematopoietic tumors
Lymphoma-conjunctiva
Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.
Last author update: 1 September 2013
Last staff update: 24 December 2020
Copyright: 2004-2025, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Lymphoma conjunctiva [title]
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Diagnosis | Case reports | Treatment | Gross description | Microscopic (histologic) description | Molecular / cytogenetics description | Additional referencesCite this page: Pernick N. Lymphoma-conjunctiva. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/eyeconjlymphoma.html. Accessed January 10th, 2025.
Definition / general
- Usually indolent MALT lymphomas - difficult to predict malignant potential
- Often remains an isolated lesion
- May be preceded by apparently reactive lymphoid hyperplasia
- Mantle cell lymphomas have more aggressive behavior with median survival of 3 - 5 years
Diagnosis
- H&E for high grade lesions
- For low grade lesions, need fresh tissue for flow cytometry or gene rearrangement studies
- Immunohistochemistry (light chain restriction)
Case reports
- 8 year old boy with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (Am J Ophthalmol 2007;143:1050)
- 53 year old woman with T cell lymphoma (Cornea 2007;26:1147)
- 55 year old man with primary diffuse large B cell lymphoma of palpebral conjunctiva (Can J Ophthalmol 2007;42:630)
- 72 year old woman with T cell lymphoma (Arch Ophthalmol 2002;120:508)
- CD5+ low grade marginal zone B cell lymphoma (Am J Surg Pathol 1998;22:201)
Treatment
- MALT: chemoradiation therapy (Virchows Arch 2006;448:506), possibly antibiotics (Am J Ophthalmol 2005;140:729)
Gross description
- Salmon colored mass or masses
Microscopic (histologic) description
- MALT: well differentiated, monoclonal small B lymphocytes, occasionally exhibits overt monocytoid cytology, prominent plasmacytic features or lymphoepithelial lesions (Am J Surg Pathol 2007;31:792)
Molecular / cytogenetics description
- MALT may have t(14;18)(q32;q21) involving IgH and MALT1 genes
- B cell clonality in 55% of MALT and 60% of diffuse large B cell lymphomas (Mod Pathol 2001;14:641)
Additional references
