Pulmonary Cryptococcosis after Chemotherapy in a Patient with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma

ABSTRACT

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is monoclonal expansion of malignant B or T cells. The immunocompromised status in this disease is accompanied by many infections. The cryptococcosis, caused by Cryptococcus neoformans, frequently occurs in leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, sarcoidosis, diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, and long-term steroid-using patients. Recent increasing incidence of fungal infection could be due to the spread of AIDS and transplantation. We experienced one patient with lung mass in Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after three cycles of chemotherapy, which could not be discriminated from the newly developed lymphoma mass. Cryptococcus neoformans was isolated from the lung tissue obtained by thoracoscopic biopsy. Herein we report this case with brief review of pertinent literature.