Successful treatment of refractory chylous ascites due to follicular lymphoma with very low-dose radiotherapy

Abstract

Chylous ascites is an extremely rare complication of lymphoma. Here, we discuss the case of a patient presenting with refractory chylous ascites due to a massive retroperitoneal follicular lymphoma, staged as IVB. The patient was unresponsive to chemoimmunotherapy, which prompted us to consider alternative treatment strategies. Low-dose radiotherapy was initiated and resulted in a marked decrease of the lymphadenopathy and complete regression of the peritoneal fluid. Low-dose radiotherapy represents a well-tolerated, highly effective treatment and should remain an important modality in cases of follicular lymphoma-associated chylous ascites.