Anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the palate: A case report

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a very rare subtype of T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Similar to other types of NHL, ALCL primarily involves the nodal areas and sometimes it can involve several extranodal sites such as skin, lung and soft tissue. Primary oral involvement of systemic ALCL is very rare. We report a 55-year-old Thai female with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-negative ALCL primarily occurring at the hard palate. The patient was referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Mahidol University, complaining of a swelling on her left palate. An incisional biopsy was performed and revealed a diffuse infiltration of large pleomorphic cells with prominent nuclei and sometimes eccentric horseshoe-shaped nuclei. The tumor cells showed a positivity for CD30, CD2, CD4, CD43 and EMA. A few tumor cells were positive to CD45 and CD3. They were negative for CD5, CD8, CD20, AE1/AE3, HMB45, ALK, TCRαβ TCRγδ and EBER. The patient reported a decrease in lesionsize after two courses of chemotherapy. However, approximately six months after beginning chemotherapy the tumor metastasized to the nasal cavities and brain. This case represented another rare systemic ALK-negative ALCL case primarily involving the oral cavity.