Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD)-containing regimen as a novel treatment of monomorphic epithelial intestinal T-cell lymphoma (MEITL): A case report and review of literature

Monomorphic intestinal T-cell lymphoma (MEITL) is a rare, aggressive peripheral T-cell lymphoma that arises from intestinal epithelial lymphocytes. Currently, MEITL lacks standard treatment options. Under the current treatment regimen, the median survival time for patients is only 7 months. Chemotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may improve patient outcomes. New anti-lymphoma drugs, including chidamide and PEG-asparaginase, are being tested against MEITL. To our knowledge, there are currently no data on the pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) regimen for MEITL therapy. Patient concerns, diagnosis and interventions: We report the case of a 54-year-old patient diagnosed with MEITL who presented with abdominal pain and was treated with a cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone, etoposide regimen containing PLD. OUTCOMES: After 15 months of follow-up, the patient is currently alive and disease free. The application of doxorubicin liposomes in chemotherapy regimens may be a new way to treat MEITL. REVIEW: We searched the literature on MEITL and selected 52 case reports. We summarized the clinical characteristics and treatment of 53 patients (including the current patient). CONCLUSION: It highlights 2 important clinical findings. First, for patients with MEITL treated with the cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone, etoposide regimen, PLD has fewer adverse reactions and better long-term survival than doxorubicin. Second, an early diagnosis is necessary for prompt treatment. We believe that this manuscript will be valuable to all the researchers who are interested in.