Extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presenting as a rapidly growing palatal mass in a patient with prior breast carcinoma.

Authors

Trivendra Khobragade, Tabita Joy Chettiankandy, Manisha Ahire Sardar, Sanpreet Singh Sachdev, Anusree Janardanan

Published in

BMJ case reports. Volume 19. Issue 8. Aug 17, 2026. Epub Aug 17, 2026.

Abstract

A rapidly growing palatal swelling poses a diagnostic challenge due to its wide differential, including odontogenic, epithelial, salivary gland, mesenchymal and haematolymphoid pathologies. We report the case of an elderly female with a history of treated breast carcinoma who presented with a solitary palatal mass. Clinical and radiographic findings initially raised suspicion of a metastatic lesion because of the patient's previous malignancy, rapid lesion enlargement, firm fixation, bone erosion, sinus extension and cervical lymphadenopathy. However, histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry confirmed a diagnosis of extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma rather than metastatic breast carcinoma, establishing it as a second primary malignancy. The patient was placed on palliative care due to her advanced age and compromised systemic condition but succumbed within 1 month. This case underscores the importance of including lymphoma in the differential diagnosis of rapidly enlarging oral swellings, even in patients with a remote history of solid-organ malignancy, and highlights the critical role of immunophenotyping in distinguishing lymphoid neoplasms from more common oral pathologies.

PMID:
42608071
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Aug 2026.

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