Primary hepatic lymphoma diagnosed using endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy: a case report

Background Because of the rarity of primary hepatic lymphomas, diagnosis of this disease entity may often be difficult, and performing a liver biopsy is the only way to establish a definitive diagnosis. Recently, endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy has emerged as a safe technique for obtaining liver tissue. However, there is no report on the use of endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy for diagnosing primary hepatic lymphomas. Case presentation An 85-year-old Asian man was admitted to our hospital because of multiple liver lesions without any identifiable primary tumor or extrahepatic lymphadenopathy. Serum tumor markers, including alpha-fetoprotein, were in the normal range. We provisionally diagnosed the patient with a cancer of unknown primary origin with liver metastases. An endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle liver biopsy of the tumor in the left lobe of the liver was performed using a transgastric approach, and histology revealed a primary hepatic lymphoma of a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma type. Conclusions Primary hepatic lymphomas are quite rare, and diagnosis is often difficult without performing a biopsy. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy is a useful diagnostic modality even in such cases.