Epstein-Barr Virus-Positive Cutaneous and Systemic Plasmacytosis with TAFRO Syndrome-like Symptoms Successfully Treated with Rituximab.

Histopathologic findings in the lymph nodes of patients with thrombocytopenia, anasarca, fever, reticulin fibrosis, renal dysfunction, and organomegaly (TAFRO) syndrome are similar to those of idiopathic multicentric Castleman's disease (iMCD), but TAFRO syndrome is different from iMCD in how it can progress rapidly and be fatal. These patients present scarce lymphadenopathy and low immunoglobulin levels. We present a case of cutaneous and systemic plasmacytosis (C/SP) that caused TAFRO syndrome-like symptoms which were successfully treated with rituximab. A 67-year-old woman presented with fever and a pruritic skin rash. Numerous plasma cells were observed in the peripheral blood and imaging revealed organomegaly, anasarca, and generalized lymphadenopathy. Subsequently, she rapidly developed thrombocytopenia as well as renal and heart failure. She tested positive for the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), elevated immunoglobulins, and C/SP, which are also atypical for TAFRO syndrome, thereby complicating the diagnosis. However, after using the Japanese TAFRO Syndrome Research Group diagnostic criteria, we promptly administered rituximab to treat the C/SP with TAFRO-like symptoms and saved her life. Finally, histopathological observations of the lymph node biopsy helped confirm EBV-positive hypervascular-type iMCD. Therefore, diagnosing TAFRO-like syndromes based on the Japanese diagnostic criteria and following the associated treatment even without a confirmed diagnosis is crucial to improving the patient outcomes.

Disseminated cryptococcosis resembling miliary tuberculosis in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia.

Disseminated cryptococcosis, usually involving the lungs and central nervous system, carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts. In this report, we describe a case of miliary pulmonary cryptococcosis in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia, initially resembling miliary tuberculosis. The diagnosis of disseminated cryptococcosis was made based on transbronchial lung biopsy with subsequent detection of Cryptococcus neoformans in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The patient was treated with liposomal amphotericin B as induction therapy, followed by fluconazole as consolidation and maintenance therapies thereafter. The infection was improved immediately, and he successfully underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The present case serves as a timely reminder that a radiological miliary pattern necessitates a thorough search for a definitive microbiological and histopathological diagnosis.

Cytomegalovirus Oophoritis Mimicking Burkitt's Lymphoma Recurrence: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) oophoritis is an extremely rare and fatal condition. We encountered a 63-year-old woman with CMV oophoritis who had been treated for Burkitt's lymphoma. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography performed after chemotherapy showed a high 18F-fluoro-2deoxy-D-glucose uptake in both ovaries, which required distinguishing relapse. CMV oophoritis was diagnosed on histology following bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Although the patient later developed recurrent episodes of CMV antigenemia, after which complications of CMV retinitis appeared, and she ultimately died of CMV meningitis, surgical resection with antiviral medication resolved her abdominal symptoms and cleared CMV antigenemia for several weeks. It is therefore worth considering surgical resection in combination with antiviral drugs as a treatment option.

Immune thrombocytopenia associated with Pfizer-BioNTech's BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

The recent global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to vaccination in many parts of the world for herd immunity, and as vaccination has progressed, several rare adverse events have been reported. Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) has been reported to be one of the rare adverse events caused by vaccination with MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine and influenza vaccine. In addition, ITP has been reported to occur in a small number of cases associated with the COVID-19 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine. However, there are few reports on the details of the treatment and clinical course; optimal treatment has not yet been established. We report the case of a 20-year-old woman who developed ITP after receiving Pfizer-BioNTech's BNT162b2 vaccine. She had generalized subcutaneous hemorrhage, 14 days after vaccination. At the time of our visit, she had marked thrombocytopenia and intraoral bleeding; she was diagnosed with ITP. Treatment with oral steroids was started and the platelet count promptly improved after 4 days of treatment. Since the response to treatment was very good, we tapered off the steroids. As these vaccines will be increasingly used in the future, it is important to recognize ITP as a possible adverse event.