Burkitt's lymphoma presenting as lower lip paraesthesia in a 24 year old Nigerian. Case report

An unusual case of stage D Burkitt's lymphoma in a 24 year old Nigerian female undergraduate is reported. There was a four month history of left lower lip paraesthesia followed three months later by a slowly progressive 'pimple-sized' nodular mandibular swelling arising from the mental foramen region. A full-blown, rapidly developing abdominal mass manifested only three weeks after a biopsy of the mandibular swelling. Aspiration of the latter and a histologic report of the mandibular mass confirmed Burkitt's lymphoma. The patient responded very well to appropriate chemotherapy. Clinicians should not overlook insidious jaw swellings in any adult residing in the endemic zone of Burkitt's lymphoma, in view of the fact that successful therapy is dependent on early diagnosis. Mental nerve paraesthesia is very rarely seen in Burkitt's lymphoma.