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Case report
Chylothorax as a complication of Waldenström macroglobulinaemia with a patient’s perspective
  1. Phillip Gary1,2,
  2. Margarita Gianniosis1,
  3. Jay Ryu3 and
  4. Samantha Flynn1
  1. 1Internal Medicine, Lankenau Medical Center, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, USA
  2. 2Pulmonary and Critical Care, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
  3. 3Pulmonary, Mayo Clinic Minnesota, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Phillip Gary; gary.phillip{at}mayo.edu

Abstract

Chylothorax has rarely been reported as a pleuropulmonary complication of Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM). In general, when a unilateral effusion is discovered particularly in patients with a history of cancer or active malignancy, a broad differential including chylothorax needs to be considered. We present the case of a 50-year-old woman found to have chylothorax secondary to progression of WM as confirmed by cytology and presence of MYD88 L265P mutation in the pleural fluid specimen and subsequent resolution with chemotherapy. This review centres particularly on non-traumatic causes of chylothorax with a focus on WM and includes a unique patient perspective.

  • haematology (incl blood transfusion)
  • oncology
  • respiratory medicine

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2021-241707

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors PG confirms that he was the primary author/organiser of this publication. His colleagues SF, MG and JR all contributed equally to the care of the patient involved, the gathering of literature, editing/processing of the manuscript and correspondence with the patient.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.