Hara Natsumi, Saito-Sasaki Natsuko, Okada Etsuko, Sawada Yu
Dermatology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, JPN.
Cureus. 2025 Aug 12;17(8):e89939. doi: 10.7759/cureus.89939. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTCL), is a rare and aggressive Epstein-Barr virus EBV)-associated malignancy, typically affecting middle-aged individuals. Cases in patients over 80 are extremely rare. We report an 88-year-old woman, the oldest known case, successfully treated with radiotherapy alone. She presented with erythema and swelling of the right cheek and nasal cavity, initially misdiagnosed as facial cellulitis. A skin biopsy revealed atypical CD3⁺/CD56⁺ lymphoid cells, and EBER positivity confirmed EBV involvement. Imaging showed localized disease without systemic spread. Due to her advanced age and comorbidities, chemotherapy was not feasible, and she received radiotherapy alone, resulting in complete remission without recurrence. This case highlights the effectiveness of radiotherapy in localized ENKTCL and suggests that even very elderly patients can achieve favorable outcomes with appropriate treatment.
结外自然杀伤（NK）/T细胞淋巴瘤，鼻型（ENKTCL）是一种罕见的侵袭性 Epstein-Barr 病毒（EBV）相关恶性肿瘤，通常影响中年个体。80岁以上患者的病例极为罕见。我们报告一例88岁女性患者，这是已知年龄最大的病例，仅通过放疗就成功治愈。她表现为右侧脸颊和鼻腔红斑及肿胀，最初被误诊为面部蜂窝织炎。皮肤活检显示非典型 CD3⁺/CD56⁺ 淋巴细胞，EBER 阳性证实 EBV 感染。影像学检查显示为局限性疾病，无全身扩散。由于她年事已高且有合并症，化疗不可行，她仅接受了放疗，结果完全缓解且无复发。该病例突出了放疗在局限性 ENKTCL 中的有效性，并表明即使是非常老年的患者，通过适当治疗也能取得良好预后。
