Fine-needle aspiration diagnosis of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the tongue.

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the oral region is rare. Oral manifestation is present in 3-5% of cases of NHL and oral lesions are rarely the initial manifestations. We describe primary NHL, diffuse, mixed, small and large cell type in a 50-year-old female, who presented with mass lesion primarily involving the base of the tongue; initially diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology and later confirmed by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Pertinent literature is being reviewed.