Nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma causing diagnostic difficulties

We present history, clinical presentation and anatomo-pathologic findings of a 24-year-old female patient with a nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma. This rare tumor is characterized by its angiocentric and angiodestructive growth, which results in extensive tumor necrosis. At the first encounter this tumor necrosis made it difficult to identify the nature of the tumor cells. However, this necrosis is a key feature: it is the result of the capacity of neoplastic NK/T-cells to invade vessels. The T-cell character of the neoplastic lymphoid has been shown by immunohistochemitry.