Aggressive Follicular Lymphoma of the Breast: An Unusual Suspect

Follicular lymphoma (FL) of the breast represents an uncommon subtype of breast lymphoma, an unusual type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). It typically presents as a secondary disease, meaning it is a manifestation of systemic lymphoma involving the breast rather than a primary breast origin. While screening efforts and outcomes of patients with breast cancer have risen dramatically in the last few decades, the same cannot be said of breast lymphoma. This can be partly due to the rarity of the condition and also due to the difficulty in diagnosing it. The diagnosis can often be masked by other conditions, such as benign breast masses or more common breast malignancies, such as carcinoma. This can lead to delays in diagnosis and disease progression. We describe a case of a patient who was diagnosed with aggressive FL of the breast. Despite the usual indolent nature of the disease, the patient's complicated medical comorbidities, including coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes, resulted in challenges in treatment.