title: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the breast: a review of 18 primary and secondary cases.
abstract: We evaluated the clinical features, morphology, and incidence of 18 cases of breast lymphoma over 10 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Fine needle aspiration was performed in 7 of 18 patients, and tissue biopsy/resection was available for all 18 cases. Patients were 33 to 91 years old (median, 61); 17 were women and 1 was a man. Fine needle aspiration was consistent with the tissue diagnosis in 6 of the 7 cases (86%). One case was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration as atypical cells, favor benign; the biopsy revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Tissue diagnoses revealed that 11 cases (61%) represented diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and 3 (17%) were follicular lymphomas. The remaining 4 cases (22%) were plasma cell neoplasm, T-cell neoplasm, Burkitt's lymphoma, and precursor B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. Flow cytometry and/or gene rearrangement supported the diagnosis of lymphoma in 8 cases. Although rare, lymphoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a breast mass. Fine needle aspiration can facilitate appropriate triage of patients for further management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35249-7331, USA.
authors.forename: Virginia E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: Vishnu V B
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: Nirag C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Jhala
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Chhieng
authors.forename: Darshana N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Jhala
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies