We report a case of primary temporal bone diffuse B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a rare entity. A 71-year-old male with a history of dementia and hemicraniectomy presented due to 1 month of a pronounced left ulcerative mastoid lesion. Strikingly, there were no cranial nerve deficits which was unexpected due to the degree of the lesion. Initially, infectious mastoiditis was suspected based on physical examination alone. Due to the patient being a poor historian, it was difficult to determine whether this was an acute or chronic issue. Temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma, infectious mastoiditis, and actinomycosis were on the differential, but biopsies revealed non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Snoring is a common complaint in the primary care and otolaryngology clinic with a wide differential diagnosis. Primary nasopharyngeal mantle cell lymphoma is a rare cause of a nasopharyngeal mass, which can commonly manifest as snoring. The patient in this case presented with extensive history of recent worsening snoring as well as nasal congestion over the past several months. Additionally, the patient had previously undergone endoscopic sinus surgery several years prior but was lost to follow up. During nasal endoscopy, a nasopharyngeal mass was visualized with near-complete obstruction of the nasal airway. Intraoperative biopsies indicated MCL which is an uncommon pathology presenting in a rare location. Flow cytometry of the biopsy specimen was CD19+, CD20+, CD5+, and positive for lambda light chains with immunohistochemistry showed strong diffuse cyclin D1 nuclear staining on lymphoid cells. PET/CT and bone marrow biopsy were essential in staging disease, predicting success of treatment, and determining optimal treatment planning. Once the diagnosis was established, R-CHOP therapy alternating with R-DHAP for a total of six cycles. This case report highlights the importance of recognizing new or changing symptoms, appropriate diagnostic workup for lymphoma, as well as one of few case reports describing primary nasopharyngeal mantle cell lymphoma.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.