Anaplastic bone lymphoma presenting as isolated back pain

A previously healthy man in his late 20s presented with a 4-week history of insidious back pain and raised inflammatory markers. Various specialists were involved in his care including general physicians, orthopaedic surgeons and rheumatologists. After numerous investigations including imaging and two bone biopsies, an unexpected diagnosis of anaplastic large cell lymphoma emerged. This case illustrates the importance of investigating back pain with red flags thoroughly using different imaging modalities and where indicated a bone biopsy.