Progressive paraplegia caused by recurrence of mantle-cell lymphoma with atypical spinal magnetic resonance imaging features

We describe a case of paraplegia, which had progressed rapidly in a 60-year-old Japanese man with mantle-cell lymphoma. (MCL). He admitted to our hospital due to lumbago and progressive muscle weakness of bilateral lower thighs lasting for 1. month, while he had the history of the systemic chemotherapy for MCL since 10 months. Magnetic resonance imaging. (MRI) revealed a wide-spreading intradural tumor situated in the spinal canal from L1 to L5 with an intervertebral slipped disk as the only site of recurrence. Laminectomy followed by salvage chemotherapy led disappearance of lumbago and paraplegia of the bilateral lower extremities. Although wide-spreading tumor formation in spinal canal without other involvement sites is very rare in MCL, physicians should be aware of such patterns of central nervous system. (CNS) relapse for the early diagnosis and adequate selection of treatment modality.