Unusual breast tumors: primary lymphoma. A case report

An 82-year-old woman presented with a right breast lump with erythematous reaction of the overlying skin and corresponding lymph nodes. Cytological examination of the breast lesion and lymph nodes suggested a lymphoid proliferation. Frozen section revealed carcinoma with lymphoid stroma. Simple mastectomy was performed because of the extent of the lesion. Histological diagnosis was non-Hodgkin type B large-cell lymphoma. Primary breast lymphomas behave similarly to lymphomas of similar histologic types occurring in other sites. The authors illustrate the diagnostic difficulties and the usefulness of complementary techniques in the diagnosis of an unusual breast mass.