[Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma disclosed by an intrabronchial tumor. Apropos of a case].

Non Hodgkin's lymphoma (LNH) presenting as a localised tumour is exceptional and nearly always appears during the course of disseminated disease. We report a case where the primary disease was an endobronchial tumour and the entire clinical picture related to pulmonary symptoms. A 70 year old lady was found to have a left sided pulmonary opacity following a cough with minimal expectoration and accompanied by chest pains and dyspnoea. The chest abnormality progressed for 3 years 9 months before an endobronchial tumour was discovered at bronchoscopy in the left upper lobe and from which a biopsy revealed an LNH with small cells of low degree of malignancy. In addition there was splenomegaly and an infiltration of bone marrow by the lymphomatous process which was evidence of a disseminated form of LNH. To our knowledge our observation is an extremely rare case where an endobronchial tumour revealed a non Hodgkins lymphoma.