Clinical Presentation and MRI Characteristics of Appendicular Soft Tissue Lymphoma: A Systematic Review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Clinical Presentation and MRI Characteristics of Appendicular Soft Tissue Lymphoma: A Systematic Review

AU - Weiss, Sebastian

AU - Weisse, Valentin

AU - Korthaus, Alexander

AU - Bannas, Peter

AU - Frosch, Karl-Heinz

AU - Schlickewei, Carsten

AU - Barg, Alexej

AU - Priemel, Matthias

PY - 2022/7/4

Y1 - 2022/7/4

N2 - Appendicular soft tissue lymphoma (ASTL) is rare and is frequently misinterpreted as soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Studies investigating magnet resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of ASTL are scarce and showed heterogenous investigation criteria and results. The purpose of this study was to systematically review clinical presentations and MRI characteristics of ASTL as described in the current literature. For that purpose, we performed a systematic literature review in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Patient demographics, clinical presentation and MRI imaging characteristics of ASTL were investigated, resulting in a total of nine included studies reporting a total of 77 patients. Signal intensity of lymphoma compared to muscle tissue was mostly described as isointense (53%) or slightly hyperintense (39%) in T1-weighted images and always as hyperintense in proton-and T2-weighted images. Multicompartmental involvement was reported in 59% of cases and subcutaneous stranding in 74%. Long segmental involvement was present in 80% of investigated cases. Involvement of neurovascular structures was reported in 41% of cases and the presence of traversing vessels in 83% of patients. The presence of these findings should lead to the inclusion of ASTL in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue masses.

AB - Appendicular soft tissue lymphoma (ASTL) is rare and is frequently misinterpreted as soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Studies investigating magnet resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of ASTL are scarce and showed heterogenous investigation criteria and results. The purpose of this study was to systematically review clinical presentations and MRI characteristics of ASTL as described in the current literature. For that purpose, we performed a systematic literature review in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Patient demographics, clinical presentation and MRI imaging characteristics of ASTL were investigated, resulting in a total of nine included studies reporting a total of 77 patients. Signal intensity of lymphoma compared to muscle tissue was mostly described as isointense (53%) or slightly hyperintense (39%) in T1-weighted images and always as hyperintense in proton-and T2-weighted images. Multicompartmental involvement was reported in 59% of cases and subcutaneous stranding in 74%. Long segmental involvement was present in 80% of investigated cases. Involvement of neurovascular structures was reported in 41% of cases and the presence of traversing vessels in 83% of patients. The presence of these findings should lead to the inclusion of ASTL in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue masses.

U2 - 10.3390/diagnostics12071623

DO - 10.3390/diagnostics12071623

M3 - SCORING: Review article

C2 - 35885528

VL - 12

JO - DIAGNOSTICS

JF - DIAGNOSTICS

SN - 2075-4418

IS - 7

M1 - 1623

ER -