Korean J Head Neck Oncol.  2020 Nov;36(2):45-50. 10.21593/kjhno/2020.36.2.45.

A Case of Extranodal NK/T-cell Lymphoma at the Base of Tongue

• Ho HJ
• Han JH
• Jang JY

• KMID: 2512828
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21593/kjhno/2020.36.2.45

Abstract

Extranodal Natural Killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, is a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus. Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma mostly affects the nasal cavity and there has been no report of the disease’s occurrence at the base of tongue. Here we report a case of 43-year-old man who presented with a diffuse ulcerative lesion at the base of tongue. Because the patient had oral bleeding, tracheostomy and lingual artery ligation was performed via a transcervical approach to control bleeding and protect the upper airway. We performed a deep biopsy through the lateral pharyngotomy approach, and finally, the patient was diagnosed with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type. We report this rare case of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma at the base of tongue with a literature review.

Keyword

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma; NK-T-cell lymphoma; Base of tongue