Veronica Marie M. Mendoza
Chief resident of the UST Hospital Department of Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery
Title: Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma: Unusually Presenting as an Auricle Mass
Biography
Biography: Veronica Marie M. Mendoza
Abstract
Objective: To present a rare case of Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma in a 64-year old male presenting with an auricular mass on the right ear
Methods:
Study Design: Case Report
Setting: Tertiary Private Hospital
The patient is a 64-year old male with a 7-month history of progressively enlarging mass on the auricle of the right ear accompanied by pruritus and yellowish discharge, initially treated as a case of Perichondritis which did not resolve. Initial biopsy showed Fibrocollagenous tissue with chronic inflammation whereas repeat incision biopsy revealed Atypical Round Cell Lesion. Immunohistochemical study was consistent with Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma, not otherwise specified, Stage II. The patient underwent 6 cycles of chemotherapy.
When evaluating patients with a non-traumatic auricular deformity that presents like a soft tissue infection unresponsive to antibiotic therapy and progressively resembles a tumor, immediate biopsy and imaging should be instituted to obtain an accurate diagnosis and avoid unnecessary procedures. After all, not all head and neck masses are managed with surgery.
This case of PTCL-NOS of the auricle, just like other reported cases of lymphoma arising from the external auditory canal appear to respond well with the standard CHOP regimen. Therefore, the favorable resolution in our case suggest that surgical resection of the auricle should be reserved for cases non-responsive to the standard treatment for lymphoma.