Primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the central nervous system in a child: A case report

INTRODUCTION: To report the clinical characteristics of primary central nervous system T-cell lymphoma with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-1 (ALK-1) positive in an 8-year-old male. PATIENT CONCERNS: The patient presented cognitive impairment, dizziness, vomiting, fever, and convulsions during the disease, followed by progressive and persistent severe headache, progressive increase of intracranial pressure, indifference, disorder of consciousness, mild increase in white blood cells in cerebrospinal fluid, progressive decrease of sugar, progressive increase of protein, abnormal signal of left parietal-occipital, local meningeal enhancement, and cerebrospinal fluid cytology. DIAGNOSIS: He was diagnosed with ALK-1-positive central nervous system T-cell lymphoma. INTERVENTIONS: Meropenem and vancomycin were administered to counter the infection, while dexamethasone alleviated the inflammation. OUTCOMES: The patient died of cerebral hernia due to intracranial hypertension in the eighth week of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: PCNS ALK-1-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma is extremely rare. Also, it is difficult to distinguish from central meningeal lymphoma and central nervous system infection, which might lead to delayed diagnosis. However, early diagnosis depends on the pathological diagnosis of brain tissue biopsy.