title: Extranodal lymphoma of the head and neck: a 67-case series.
abstract: The present study sought to describe clinical presentation in extranodal lymphoma of the head and neck (ELHN), with the aim of improving diagnostic management.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-center retrospective observational study was conducted over the period 2001-13. Age, gender, histologic type, location, type of clinical presentation, time interval between symptom onset and histologic diagnosis and presence of specific symptoms were recorded, as were the specialty of the physician initially consulted and of the physician taking the diagnostic sample.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-seven cases of ELHN were diagnosed: 39 male and 28 female patients, with a median age of 68 years. B-cell lymphoma (84%) was more frequent than plasmacytoma (7%) or T-cell lymphoma (6%). Location was mainly palatine tonsil (28%), nasal fossa and sinus (19%), nasopharynx (14%) or parotid (13%). Revelation often involved a mass (33%), and only rarely any specific symptoms (9%). Time interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was short in aggressive lymphoma and longer in low-grade lymphoma (mean 4 and 10 months respectively). The physician initially consulted was an ENT specialist in 67% of cases, and an ENT specialist performed diagnostic sampling in 97% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ELHN is a rare pathology (5 cases per year in our department) of highly variable clinical presentation depending on location and histologic type. The ENT physician should be prepared for diagnosis regardless of anatomic location, so as to optimize diagnostic management.
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie ORL et cervico-faciale, hôpital Foch, 40, rue Worth, 92150 Suresnes, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Picard
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie ORL et cervico-faciale, hôpital Foch, 40, rue Worth, 92150 Suresnes, France; Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, UFR de médecine Paris Ouest Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 78280 Guyancourt, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cardinne
authors.affiliation: Service d'anatomo-pathologie, hôpital Foch, 40, rue Worth, 92150 Suresnes, France.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Denoux
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie ORL et cervico-faciale, hôpital Foch, 40, rue Worth, 92150 Suresnes, France.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie ORL et cervico-faciale, hôpital Foch, 40, rue Worth, 92150 Suresnes, France; Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, UFR de médecine Paris Ouest Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 78280 Guyancourt, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chabolle
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie ORL et cervico-faciale, hôpital Foch, 40, rue Worth, 92150 Suresnes, France; Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, UFR de médecine Paris Ouest Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 78280 Guyancourt, France. Electronic address: christine.bach@hopital-foch.org.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bach
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010954:Plasmacytoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Extranodal neoplasm; Head and neck neoplasm; Lymphoma; Otorhinolaryngology