Refractory Septic Shock due to Underlying Immunocompromised Disease: A Case of Fatal Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma Not Otherwise Specified in a Young Hispanic Woman

Abstract

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) is known as an unclassified group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. PTCL-NOS is a subtype of peripheral T-cell lymphoma that accounts for 3% of all lymphomas in the United States. PTCL-NOS commonly presents as a disseminated disease, B symptoms (fever, night sweats, and weight loss), generalized lymphadenopathy, bone marrow infiltration, and extranodal involvement. Other rare and possible manifestations include peripheral eosinophilia, pruritus, or hemophagocytic syndrome. This type of lymphoma is aggressive in nature and carries a high mortality rate. There is no established standard-of-care treatment protocol for PTCL-NOS, several chemotherapy drug combinations are frequently used as a frontline treatment with an overall 5-year survival rate of 25%. We present a case of a 35-year old Hispanic woman who initially presented with a chief complaint of bilateral lower extremity swelling due to hypoalbuminemia and new-onset hyperkeratotic skin of the palms and soles.