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Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Bartholin's gland
Wiebren A A Tjalma1, Ann L R Van de Velde, Wilfried A M Schroyens
1Division of Gynaecological Oncology, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Antwerp, Belgium. wiebren.tjalma@uza.be
Background:
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) may involve the lower female genital tract, most often as a manifestation of systemic disease and rarely as a primarily localisation.
Case:
A 73-year-old woman, HIV-negative, presented with a 5-month history of a mass in the left Bartholin's gland. The performed biopsy was reported to be a poorly differentiated carcinoma. Therefore, the patient underwent a vulvectomy with superficial groin node dissection. Unexpectedly, the definitive histological diagnosis showed that the tumor was an extranodal diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Conclusion:
This is the first report of a NHL located in the Bartholin's gland. Primary NHLs involving the external genitalia are rare and often inaccurately diagnosed. A greater awareness of this entity among clinicians and pathologists could uncover more cases.