A Case of Natural Killer T-cell Lymphoma of the Tongue.
- Author:
Seok Goo CHO
1
;
Dong Hee LEE
;
Hong Rae KIM
;
Kwang Jae CHO
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
T cell lymphoma;
Natural killer cell;
Tongue
- MeSH:
Head;
Herpesvirus 4, Human;
Killer Cells, Natural;
Korea;
Lymphoma*;
Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin;
Lymphoma, T-Cell;
Mouth;
Nasal Cavity;
Natural Killer T-Cells*;
Neck;
Tongue*
- From:Korean Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
2004;47(8):783-786
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Malignant lymphoma, which represents about 5.4% of all neoplasms and more significantly 19-28% of malignant neoplasms, is the most common non-epithelial malignancy in the head and neck area and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma accounts for 11.4% of all lymphoma in Koreans. Natural killer/T-cell (NK/T-cell) lymphoma is a lymphoma of the putative natural killer cell lineage. NK/T-cell neoplasms are generally rare, but they are more common in people of the Oriental, Mexican and South American descent. These neoplasms are highly aggressive and they show a strong association with Epstein-Barr virus. The preferential site of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma is the nasal cavity and there has been no report of NK/T-cell lymphoma developing from the tongue in the oral cavity. We experienced one rare case of extranasal NK/T-cell lymphoma of the tongue, and to our knowledge, this was the first case in Korea. Thus, we report this case with a review of the literature.
