Primary pulmonary extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma of nasal type presenting as pneumonia in the right lower lobe: A case report.

Extranodal Natural Killer/T Cell Lymphoma Nasal Type (EN-NK/T-CL-NT) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in which the lesion is usually located in the upper respiratory tract, such as nasal cavity, palate, and nasopharynx. In addition, the primary lesion of EN-NK/T-CL-NT can rarely originate in extranasal sites such as the skin, gastrointestinal tract, testicles, central nervous system, and lungs. We describe an 82-year-old male smoker was brought to the hospital with 8 months of fever, cough, sputum production, chest pain, and chest tightness. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed subpleural high-density shadow in the lower lobe of the right lung with unclear borders and surrounding patchy ground-glass shadow. Initially, the patient's right lower lobe lesion progressed after receiving anti-inflammatory treatment. He subsequently underwent two computerized tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle aspiration biopsies and a bronchoscopy, but no tumor cells were found. Through multidisciplinary team discussions, the patient was then transferred to the department of cardiothoracic surgery for right lower lobectomy. Finally, extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL), nasal type, was confirmed by pathology of the surgical specimen. The diagnosis of primary pulmonary ENKTCL was made because no evidence other than extrapulmonary site was found at the time of diagnosis and treatment. Here we report a case of primary pulmonary extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma of nasal type presenting as pneumonia in the right lower lobe and enhance the understanding of the disease.
Competing Interests: No one in the manuscript has a conflict of interest.
(© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)