A Case of Primary Nasopharyngeal Hodgkin Lymphoma

Abstract

Primary nasopharyngeal Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a rare, but important differential diagnosis of nasopharyngeal tumors. If not diagnosed early and correctly, it may cause life-threatening complications and be difficult to treat. We report the case of a patient with nasopharyngeal tumor, in whom the diagnosis of primary nasopharyngeal HL was established by partial resection. We also provide a review of published reports on primary nasopharyngeal HL. A 32-year-old Japanese man presented to us with the chief complaint of nasal obstruction, which was diagnosed as being caused by a nasopharyngeal tumor. The nasopharyngeal tumor biopsy was negative, therefore, partial resection of the nasopharyngeal tumor was performed. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen showed Reed-Sternberg cells and immunohistochemistry showed positive staining for CD30, which confirmed the diagnosis of classical HL, mixed cellularity type. He was treated by involved field radiation therapy (IFRT) alone, to avoid azoospermia. Until now, 10 months since the completion of treatment, good local control is maintained. Nasopharyngeal HL should be included in the differential diagnosis of a nasopharyngeal mass and may be diagnosed by partial resection in the event of failure of diagnosis at the initial biopsy.