Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma of central nervous system - a report of two cases and literature review.

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVL) is a rare form of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DBCL) frequently presenting with skin and/or central nervous system (CNS) involvement. IVL involves CNS in 75 - 85% of patients and neurological symptoms include sensory and motor deficits or neuropathies, meningoradiculitis, paresthesia, hypostenia, aphasia, dysarthria, hemiparesis, seizures, transient visual loss, vertigo and impaired cognitive function. Neuroimaging discloses CNS involvement only in half of patients with neurological symptoms because there are no pathognomonic neuroradiological findings for IVL; ischemic foci are the most common presentation pattern and therefore vasculitis is the most common differential diagnosis. According to all mentioned data, diagnosis of CNS IVL requires a histopathological confirmation. Brain biopsy is absolutely indicated in patients with progressive neurological deterioration with unclear abnormalities in cerebral MR imaging. A general policy is that patients with IVL should be considered to have disseminated disease and should be treated with systemic chemotherapy. In younger patients with unfavorable features the high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation should be used. Nevertheless, the course of IVL is rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal.