"Introduction
... In this report, we present a first case of fatal B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (B-LBL) diagnosed shortly following intravenous booster administration of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in a BALB/c mouse...
Discussion
Two days following booster vaccination, the animal suffered spontaneous death with diffuse malignant infiltration of multiple extranodal organs at only 14 weeks of age. Although a causal relationship between the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine and B-LBL observed in the present case cannot be unequivocally established and may represent coincidence, the temporal sequence of events suggests its involvement in this rare hematologic malignancy...
Clinical cases with the diagnosis of other B-cell lymphoma subtypes, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), have been reported, although most often only temporarily linked with COVID-19 vaccination since a pre-existing lymphoma could not be excluded. Notably, the reported cases occurred in the context of immunization with the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Nonetheless, remission and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation of B-cell lymphoma have also been reported following the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 viral vector vaccine. Individual cases of development, progression, exacerbation, recurrence, and spontaneous regression of T cell lymphoma have also been described for both the mRNA-based as well as viral vector-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines...
[I]t has been suggested that the continuous stimulation of T- and B-cells, not only by SARS-CoV-2 itself but also through mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, may trigger autoimmunity or other aberrant inflammatory responses, thereby resulting in malignant lymphoma development or progression of pre-existing lymphoma...
Our case adds to previous clinical reports on malignant lymphoma development following novel SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination."
© 2023 Eens, Van Hecke, Favere, Tousseyn, Guns, Roskams and Heidbuchel.
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