Diagnostic challenges in a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the maxilla presenting as exposed necrotic bone
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Emmanouil Vardas [1] ; Maria Georgaki [1] ; Erofili Papadopoulou [1] ; Konstantina Delli [2] ; Andreas Kouroumalis [1] ; Evangelos Kalfarentzos [1] ; Eleftheria Lakiotaki [1] ; Nikolaos G. Nikitakis [1]
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[1] National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Dimos Athens, Grecia
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[2] DDS, Dr med dent, PhD, Department of Oral Diseases - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands
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- Localización: Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry, ISSN-e 1989-5488, Vol. 14, Nº. 3 (March), 2022, págs. 303-309
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
Lymphoma is the second most common malignancy in the head and neck area, affecting both nodal and extranodal sites, including oral soft and hard tissues, usually in the form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). However, lymphomas of the jaws, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common type of NHL, are very rare and may cause significant diagnostic challenges resembling common jaw pathologies, such as periapical lesions, osteomyelitis and osteonecrosis.
The aim of this paper is to present a rare case of DLBCL in an 84-years-old diabetic male patient on methylprednisolone treatment for autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The lesion appeared clinically as exposed necrotic bone of the maxilla with surrounding soft tissue ulceration and radiographically as an extensive osteolytic lesion with ill-defined borders. Despite the resemblance of the lesion with osteonecrosis or osteomyelitis that could be theoretically related to diabetes and/or systemic use of corticosteroids, histopathologic examination, necessitating a repeat biopsy in order to acquire sufficient tissue, revealed the final diagnosis of lymphoma. The need for increased clinical awareness and vigilance of this possible diagnostic conundrum is emphasized.
