Natural Killer–Like T-Cell Lymphoma: A Rare Cause of Acute Liver Failure

Acute liver failure is characterized by encephalopathy and disruption of hepatic function, often requiring liver transplantation to prevent fatal consequences. We present a 33-year-old man with recurrent lymphoma presenting with acute liver failure, which was initially thought to be from drug-induced liver injury associated with his chemotherapy medication, asparaginase. However, liver biopsy revealed malignant infiltration by lymphoma. The subtype of lymphoma was natural killer–like T-cell lymphoma, which is an uncommon variant, and has rarely been associated with hepatic infiltration. His condition rapidly worsened with development of multiorgan failure leading to death.