Coexisting Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

TL;DR

A 67-year-old woman with primary biliary cholangitis later developed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, highlighting a rare but possible link between autoimmune liver disease and lymphoma.

Contribution

This case report is among the few to document the progression of primary biliary cholangitis to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Findings

A patient with primary biliary cholangitis developed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma within a year.

The patient's condition worsened due to infections following chemotherapy-induced immune suppression.

Literature review suggests a possible but rare association between primary biliary cholangitis and lymphoma risk.

Abstract

It is recognized that autoimmune diseases such as primary Sjogren's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of developing lymphoma, particularly non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The progression of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), a chronic autoimmune liver disease, to lymphoma on this basis has rarely been reported. This article describes a 67-year-old female patient who developed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) one year after the diagnosis of PBC. She had experienced a transient improvement after receiving treatment but died as a result of infections and other related problems triggered by further immune suppression after chemotherapy. We also reviewed the relevant literature to assess the correlation between PBC and lymphoma risk.

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