title: Breast systemic follicular lymphoma in a man: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast involvement by non-Hodgkin lymphoma is particularly rare in men. We describe the case of a patient with a rapidly growing, painless gynecomastia-like nodule in the left breast. On ultrasonography, the nodule was suspicious for breast carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A breast biopsy from a 54-year-old Caucasian man showed the morphoimmunophenotypical features of grade 3 follicular lymphoma. Moreover, fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis showed a t(14,18) translocation suggesting breast involvement by a systemic lymphoma rather than a primary breast lymphoma. The histological diagnosis was subsequently confirmed after nodule excision. Mediastinal and abdominal node involvement was then identified on computed tomography and positron emission tomography scans during staging examinations. Our patient was treated with chemotherapy. After three years our patient experienced a right retro-areolar relapse. He then received two further cycles of chemotherapy but developed a myeloid acute leukemia and, as a result of this, he subsequently died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rarity of breast lymphomas, especially in men, and the problems related to the therapeutic choices with these tumors require molecular techniques in association with classical histological diagnosis.
authors: Pathology Unit, National Cancer Institute, Pascale Foundation, Naples, Italy. monicantile@libero.it.
authors: Elvira
authors: E
authors: La Mantia
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Cantile
authors: Giuseppina
authors: G
authors: Liguori
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Di Bonito
authors: Annarosaria
authors: A
authors: De Chiara
authors: Massimiliano
authors: M
authors: D'Aiuto
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Pannone
authors: Renato
authors: R
authors: Franco
authors: Gerardo
authors: G
authors: Botti