Lymphoma of the Alveolus: A Rare Entity

Abstract

Extranodal lymphoma of the oral cavity accounts for 3.5% of all oral cavity malignancies. Its rarity poses a challenge to clinicians in diagnosing this entity in the clinical setting. Common sites of extranodal lymphoma are in the gastrointestinal tract. In the oral cavity, palatine tonsils predominates the site of origin as the histology of the Weldeyer’s ring structure is composed mainly of lymphoid follicles. Herein, we are reporting a case of an elderly gentleman who presented with a history of loosening of teeth followed by painless swelling over the hard palate which turned out to be non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Histopathological with further immunohistochemistry study revealed a B-cell type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Albeit rare, extranodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma ought to be considered as a differential diagnosis for oral cavity tumour especially with a palatal swelling post-tooth extraction.