title: Persistence of a Cervical Neck Mass, Not Just the Lymphoma.
abstract: Actinomycosis is a rare, chronic granulomatous infection caused by gram-positive, anaerobic to microaerophilic branching filamentous bacteria. In the cervicofacial region, it usually presents as an enlarging neck mass. It remains a diagnostic challenge due to the fact that cultures show no growth in more than 50% of cases. We report a case of a 67-year-old patient known to have a neck mass secondary to lymphoma in which the neck mass persisted despite therapy. Upon evaluation, the diagnosis of culture-negative actinomycosis was based on histopathology findings, and the patient received antibiotic therapy. We will discuss the diagnosis and pathology of actinomycosis, attempting to explore the relationship between actinomycosis and lymphoid malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital.
authors.forename: Sassine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghanem
authors.affiliation: Hematology and Oncology, Tulane University.
authors.forename: Mazen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zaarour
authors.affiliation: Hematology/Oncology, Staten Island University Hospital.
authors.forename: Uroosa
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital.
authors.forename: Samer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saouma
authors.affiliation: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital.
authors.forename: Fanyi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Hematology/Oncology, Staten Island University Hospital.
authors.forename: Jean Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Atallah
keywords: actinomyces; cervicofacial actinomycosis; diffuse large b-cell lymphoma (dlbcl); lymphoma; neck mass