Primary Oral MALT Lymphoma Without Nodal or Systemic Involvement: A Rare Presentation.

Area of Science:

• Oral pathology
• Hematology
• Oncology

Background:

• Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) is a rare low-grade B-cell lymphoma.
• Primary oral MALT lymphoma is exceedingly rare, presenting diagnostic challenges due to nonspecific clinical and histopathological features.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a rare case of primary oral MALT lymphoma.
• To highlight the diagnostic challenges in differentiating oral MALT lymphoma from benign lesions.
• To emphasize the importance of clinicopathological correlation in diagnosing oral lymphoid proliferations.

Main Methods:

• Case report of a middle-aged patient with a slow-growing oral lesion.
• Initial clinical suspicion of oral lipoma.
• Histopathological examination and immunohistochemical analysis for definitive diagnosis.

Main Results:

• Histopathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed primary oral MALT lymphoma.
• The lesion was initially misdiagnosed as a benign condition, underscoring diagnostic difficulty.

Conclusions:

• Primary oral MALT lymphoma is a rare entity requiring high clinical suspicion.
• Clinicopathological correlation is crucial for accurate diagnosis of oral lymphoid proliferations.
• Distinguishing MALT lymphoma from benign reactive lesions is critical for appropriate patient management.