title: Primary Breast Lymphoma in a Woman: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) is an unusual clinical entity accounting for 0.4-0.5% of all breast neoplasms. The usual presentation includes a painless palpable mass similar to that of breast carcinoma. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common identifiable type of PBL based on the histopathological examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report an unusual case of a 43-year-old Indonesian woman who presented with a 7-month history of a painless mass in the left breast. A core needle biopsy revealed diffuse infiltration of large atypical lymphoid cells. The immuno-histochemical biomarkers confirmed the diagnosis of a DLBCL. A bone scan showed no evidence of bone metastasis. It was treated non-surgically, based on the decision of the breast multidisciplinary team (MDT). The patient was treated with 4 cycles of combination chemotherapy with R-CODOX/IVAC. A follow-up PET scan revealed non-significant mild F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake at the periphery of the residual left breast mass, indicating a radiologically favorable response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early and accurate diagnosis of PBL is crucial for selecting the appropriate MDT treatment strategies to avert potentially harmful surgical interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, General Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Gaby
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jabbour
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, General Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Gamela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: El-Mabrok
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, General Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Thani
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Clinical Research, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Ayman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Menyar
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Al Hijji
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Sarbar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Napaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy