Journal of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases & Disorders

The Risk of Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma (HSTCL) in Women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Thiopurines

Abstract

Shirley Cohen-Mekelburg, Yecheskel Schneider, Marco Pizzi, Amy Chadburn, Susan Mathew, Ellen Scherl and Adam Steinlauf

Hepatosplenic T-cell Lymphoma (HSTCL) is a rare and often fatal malignancy classically thought to affect males less than 35 years of age with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on thiopurines. Even though HSTCL is thought to affect predominantly young males with IBD, it can occur in female patients as well. We report a case of HSTCL in a young female patient with ulcerative colitis (UC), the 6th female case of IBD-associated HSTCL reported in the literature. Although the risk of developing HSTCL may be lower in women, it remains a substantial concern given the aggressive nature of this disease.