Epstein-Barr virus-negative inflammatory pseudotumor-like variant of follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the liver: A case report and literature review

•What is already known on this subject? IPT-like variant of FDCS of the liver is very rare with only 29 cases being reported, and most of them are associated with Epstein-Barr virus involvement.•What are the new findings? We report a case of an IPT-like variant of FDCS of the liver without Epstein-Barr virus involvement. The tumor consists of proliferative spindle cells and massive inflammatory cells. Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNA in situ hybridization is negative.•How might it impact on clinical practice in the foreseeable future? Our study indicates that Epstein-Barr virus infection is not an absolute prerequisite for a diagnosis of the IPT-like variant of FDCS. Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) can be divided into the conventional type, and the inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT)-like variant type. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is considered to be closely associated with the pathogenesis of IPT-like variant of FDCS. Hepatic FDCS has an exceedingly low incidence of only 29 cases reported, with most of these tumors being classified as the IPT-like type. We report a case of an IPT-like variant of FDCS of the liver in a 61-year old man who presented with no marked symptoms. The patient underwent laparoscopic surgery for the mass and was well during a 13-month follow-up periods. The postoperative pathological examination found a proliferation of spindle cells and a diffuse infiltration of inflammatory cells within the tumor. Immunohistochemistry revealed that neoplastic cells were positive for CD23, clusterin, fascin, and PD-L1, and weakly positive for CD35, SMA, and D2-40. The infiltrating lymphocytes were strongly positive for PD1, and IgG4-positive plasma cells were less than 10 cells/high-power field. In situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus encoded RNA (EBER) was negative. To our knowledge, the present case is the second case of hepatic IPT-like variant of FDCS without EBV involvement, indicating that EBV infection is not an absolute prerequisite for a diagnosis of the IPT-like variant of FDCS.