Imprint cytology in diagnosing-primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the breast during intraoperative frozen consultation: a case report.

UNLABELLED

BACKGROUND; Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the breast is uncommon among primary malignant breast tumors. Here we present a case diagnosed as primary breast lymphoma with imprint cytology during intraoperative frozen consultation.

CASE

A 67-year-old woman presented with a palpable, non-tender mass in her left breast that she had had for 2 weeks. The mammogram and ultrasound studies revealed 1 lobular mass in the left breast without axillary lymphadenopathy. Imprint cytology helped diagnose malignant lymphoma of the breast, preventing radical surgery.

CONCLUSION

Frozen artifact may obscure the evaluation of cytomorphology during intraoperative consultation. Imprint cytology may help due to less artifact with the cytologic details. Primary breast lymphomas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of breast tumors. The current literature recommendation of intermediate to high grade lymphoma is combined partial mastectomy followed by chemotherapy with local radiotherapy.