Cytologic mimics of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the head and neck

Non-lymphoid small round blue cell tumors of the head and neck are particularly difficult to diagnose when metastatic to a lymph node. The cytopathologist or surgical pathologist evaluating these lesions has to be aware of the various non-hematopoetic neoplasms that present in the head and neck area that can mimic non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Presented here are the various lesions commonly seen which needs to be entertained depending on where in the head and neck the lesion is located. More recently, a plethora of HPV related head and neck tumors has been described and these lesions add to the mix in this challenging milieu of cases.