{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T04:46:44Z","timestamp":1785732404919,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785715200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, whereas primary splenic DLBCL (PS-DLBCL) is exceedingly rare. Lymphomas that mimic systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are clinically heterogeneous and share overlapping manifestations with SLE, rendering diagnosis extremely challenging.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Case presentation<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We report a case of an elderly patient presenting with recurrent fever, a hyperinflammatory state, and cytopenias, along with positivity for multiple autoimmune antibodies and lupus anticoagulant, which strongly suggested a clinical diagnosis of SLE. However, the patient showed no response to adequate doses of glucocorticoid therapy. Subsequent bone marrow and peripheral blood flow cytometry revealed a minor population of aberrant phenotype B cells, and positron emission tomography-computed tomography demonstrated mild splenomegaly with diffuse increased fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the splenic parenchyma. A definitive diagnosis of PS-DLBCL was established following splenectomy. Unfortunately, the patient suffered sudden cardiac death shortly after diagnosis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This case highlights that PS-DLBCL can present with lupus-like manifestations as an atypical clinical feature, and such variant presentation may herald a poor prognosis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1918778","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T04:26:32Z","timestamp":1785731192000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Primary splenic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma masquerading as systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Zhaoxia","family":"He","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, General Hospital of Western Theater Command","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yan","family":"Zeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, General Hospital of Western Theater Command","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dongmei","family":"Zeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, General Hospital of Western Theater Command","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rong","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nuclear Medicine, General Hospital of Western Theater Command","place":["Chengdu, Sichuan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tao","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology 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