ASN's Mission

To create a world without kidney diseases, the ASN Alliance for Kidney Health elevates care by educating and informing, driving breakthroughs and innovation, and advocating for policies that create transformative changes in kidney medicine throughout the world.

learn more

Contact ASN

1401 H St, NW, Ste 900, Washington, DC 20005

email@asn-online.org

202-640-4660

The Latest on X

Kidney Week

Please note that you are viewing an archived section from 2019 and some content may be unavailable. To unlock all content for 2019, please visit the archives.

Abstract: FR-PO682

Mantle Cell Lymphoma Resulting in Paraneoplastic Immune Complex Mediated Glomerulonephritis

Session Information

Category: Trainee Case Report

  • 1500 Onco-Nephrology

Authors

  • Ahmad, Yahya Rauf, North Shore Medical Center, Salem, Massachusetts, United States
  • Motwani, Shveta S., Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Newton, Massachusetts, United States
  • Burdge, Kelly A., North Shore Physicians Group, Danvers, Massachusetts, United States
Introduction

Glomerulonephritis (GN) can result from paraneoplastic effect of certain malignancies. Here we report a case of a gentleman with Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) who developed GN necessitating treatment of his cancer that otherwise did not meet hematological criteria for treatment.

Case Description

A 63-year Caucasian male with a newly diagnosed MCL, not on treatment, came in for evaluation of lower extremity edema within two weeks of diagnosis.
His edema was associated with a weight gain of ten pounds, and acute kidney injury with a creatinine rise from a baseline of 1.08 to 1.72, peaking at 3.14 mg/dL over the next few weeks. Initial evaluation consisted of a normal renal ultrasound, a urinalysis with 3+ blood, positive leukocyte esterase. A microscopic evaluation of his urine sediment showed dysmorphic red blood cells (RBCs), 5 white blood cells, and no bacteria. A spot urine protein to creatinine ratio of 5.3g/g creatinine of which 3.3g was albumin. Serological work up demonstrated a normal or negative serum and urine electrophoresis, serum free light chains, complements, anti- neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody, anti-double stranded DNA, anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, hepatitis serologies, lactate dehydrogenase, haptoglobin and cryoglobulin. His anti-nuclear antibody was weakly positive. He underwent a kidney biopsy showing acute tubular necrosis with immune complex GN with a focal proliferative and mesangioproliferative pattern of injury. There was no paraprotein deposition or parenchymal infiltration with the lymphoma cells. His GN was attributed to a paraneoplastic process resulting from his underlying MCL.
His GN prompted treatment with high dose steroids, bendamustine, and rituximab with improvement in creatinine to 1.2 mg/dL, and complete resolution of proteinuria. A subsequent positron emission tomography scan showed marked regression of his MCL.

Discussion

Renal involvement in mantle cell lymphoma is a rare complication. Mantle cell lymphoma is often an indolent condition that does not require treatment. However, organ-threatening GN such as that reported in our case can only respond to treatment. Serological studies are often insufficient and kidney biopsy is required for definitive diagnosis. Rituximab-based regimens are effective for treatment of paraneoplastic GN resulting from MCL.