Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42488632›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026

Case Report: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis after SARS-CoV-2 infection revealing clinically diagnosed stage IVB diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in quiescent adult-onset Still's disease.

Ting Long, Juanjuan Song, Sheng-Guang Li

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In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Ting Long *Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Peking University International Hospital, Beijing, China.
Juanjuan Song *Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University International Hospital, Beijing, China.
Sheng-Guang LiDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Peking University International Hospital, Beijing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Adult hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) may be triggered by infection, malignancy, or systemic inflammatory disease. Attribution is challenging when recent SARS-CoV-2 infection, quiescent adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), and an occult B-cell clonal disorder coexist. Case report: A 71-year-old man with AOSD controlled for 14 years on low-dose methotrexate developed persistent fever and fatigue after mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. He subsequently developed cytopenias, hyperferritinemia, markedly elevated lactate dehydrogenase, diffuse FDG-avid lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, elevated soluble interleukin-2 receptor, reduced natural killer-cell activity, and bone marrow hemophagocytosis, fulfilling HLH criteria. Broad pathogen evaluation, including blood and bone marrow metagenomic next-generation sequencing, did not identify an alternative infectious trigger. Bone marrow histopathology did not show definite tumor cells; however, flow cytometry identified monoclonal mature B cells, and peripheral-blood smear high-throughput sequencing detected lymphoma-associated mutations including MYD88, CD79B, IGLL5, PRDM1, DTX1, DUSP2, and BTG1. Multidisciplinary consultation favored probable lymphoma-associated HLH with clinically diagnosed stage IVB diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. HLH-directed therapy followed by rituximab-based lymphoma-directed chemotherapy led to transient clinical improvement, but the patient later died from infectious complications. Conclusion: Mild SARS-CoV-2 infection may act as a co-trigger or unmasking event rather than the sole cause of HLH. Persistent high lactate dehydrogenase and soluble interleukin-2 receptor, diffuse lymphadenopathy, clonal mature B cells, lymphoma-associated mutations, and negative broad pathogen testing should prompt evaluation for occult lymphoma-associated HLH.

Indexed as

COVID-19Lymphohistiocytosis, HemophagocyticLymphoma, Large B-Cell, DiffuseStill's Disease, Adult-OnsetAgedAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsHumansMaleRituximabSARS-CoV-2Rituximabadult-onset Still’s diseasecase reportdiffuse large B-cell lymphomahemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosisSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID42488632
PMCPMC13388594

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.