Skip to main content

Table 1 Clinical and radiological manifestations of primary vs. secondary hepatic lymphoma

From: The imaging conundrum of hepatic lymphoma revisited

 

Primary hepatic lymphoma

Secondary hepatic lymphoma

Clinical

Definition

Lymphoma confined to the liver and perihepatic nodal sites (without distant involvement) at time of presentation

Lymphoma that secondarily affects the liver

Incidence

1 % of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

50 % of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

20 % Hodgkin lymphoma

Associations

Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B and C infection, HIV infection and cirrhosis

-

Presenting complaints

Right upper quadrant pain, jaundice (10-20 %)

Systemic symptoms (B symptoms) such as fever, night sweats, weight loss

Clinical examination

Hepatomegaly/ palpable liver

Systemic lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly

Bone marrow involvement/ Leukemic blood profile

Absent (for at least for 6 months after first presentation)

Present

Radiological

Lesion distribution

Solitary discrete lesion (60 %), multiple lesions (35-40 %)

Multifocal lesions or diffuse infiltration (90 %)

Miliary shadows (10 %)

Dominant mass(es)

Typically present

Usually absent

Morphology

Heterogeneous

Homogeneous

Enhancement

Heterogeneous

Heterogeneous

Splenic lesions

Absent

Present (30-40 %)

Supra-and/or infra-diaphragmatic lymphadenopathy

Absent

Present