ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: NK/T cell lymphoma of nasal-type was described in 1933 as a malignant midfacial granuloma. The diagnosis of this rare affection is clinical and immunohistopathological. We report a case of NK/T cell lymphoma diagnosed at an advanced stage. OBSERVATION: A 60-year-old man with no particular medical history presented since seven months with a left nasal obstruction associated with a purulent and fetid rhinorrhea followed by a centrifugal midfacial necrosis. Blood tests showed an inflammatory syndrome. The CT-scan of the face showed a filling of the nose and sinus by a tissular process and a lysis of the bone walls. Three series of biopsies (le last being performed under general anesthesia) were necessary to get the diagnosis of NK/T cell lymphoma. The standard histology showed a malignant proliferation made of round and spindle-shaped lymphoid-like cells and angiocentric arrangement. The cells were CD 2+, CD 3+, CD 5+ and CD 56+. The spontaneous evolution was fatal one month after diagnosis in a context of septic shock. CONCLUSION: NK/T cell lymphoma of nasal-type is a rare disease but should be evocated in patient with midfacial necrosis of centrifugal evolution. The diagnosis certainty is made on immunohistopathological analysis. Multiple biopsies, made at distance from necrotic areas and under general anesthesia may be necessary.
