CASE REPORT   

Chirurgia 2021 August;34(4):174-7

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-9508.20.05104-9

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the breast

Federica ROCCO ✉, Sara MASTROIANNI, Annunziata ALLOCCA, Fabio PROCACCINI, Roberta ALBACHIARA, Antonella SCIARRA, Eugenio PROCACCINI

Breast Unit, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania, Naples, Italy

Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) is a very rare pathological entity, representing only 0.04-0.5% of all breast malignancies, approximately 0.38-0.70% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and 1.7-2.2% of all extranodal NHL. In this study we report the case of an elderly patient, addressed to our Breast Unit in September 2018 for a mass in the right breast. DLBCL is the most common subtype of PBL; it has the worse prognosis, in addition to a significantly higher risk of contralateral breast involvement. PBLs do not show distinctive features in conventional imaging techniques. Only core needle biopsy or surgical biopsy can provide essential elements for diagnosis and immunohistochemical assessment. Several Authors demonstrate that mastectomy is unnecessary, with no benefits in terms of survival and recurrence. Surgical resection should be conservative but adequate at the same time, in order to provide an R0 removal. These tumors are highly sensitive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Breast lymphoma represents a diagnostic challenge. We report a clinical case of DLBCL, our therapeutic choice and our treatment respecting the recent medical literature.

KEY WORDS: Lymphoma; Lymphoma, large B-cell, diffuse; Lymphoma, non-Hodgkin; Breast neoplasms