Tjalma Wiebren A A, Van de Velde Ann L R, Schroyens Wilfried A M
Division of Gynaecological Oncology, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Antwerp, Belgium.
Gynecol Oncol. 2002 Dec;87(3):308-9. doi: 10.1006/gyno.2002.6828.
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) may involve the lower female genital tract, most often as a manifestation of systemic disease and rarely as a primarily localisation.
A 73-year-old woman, HIV-negative, presented with a 5-month history of a mass in the left Bartholin's gland. The performed biopsy was reported to be a poorly differentiated carcinoma. Therefore, the patient underwent a vulvectomy with superficial groin node dissection. Unexpectedly, the definitive histological diagnosis showed that the tumor was an extranodal diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
This is the first report of a NHL located in the Bartholin's gland. Primary NHLs involving the external genitalia are rare and often inaccurately diagnosed. A greater awareness of this entity among clinicians and pathologists could uncover more cases.
