Jumpei M. Kimura

Malignant lymphoma in unusual areas of the head and neck: parapharyngeal space and temporal fossa.

Primary malignant lymphomas of the parapharyngeal space are rare and only 28 cases are known to have been reported. No case of malignant lymphoma arising in the temporal fossa has been previously documented. The present paper reports a case of primary non-Hodgkins lymphoma of the parapharyngeal space in a child and two cases of lymphoma of the temporal fossa in adults. All three cases were diagnosed histopathologically from biopsy specimens as diffuse, B-cell lymphomas. For diagnosis, inspection and bimanual palpation were most important in the parapharyngeal case and the temporal cases required more than one biopsy for the final diagnosis.

Malignant lymphoma presenting as a parotid mass.

Primary malignant lymphomas of the salivary glands are very rare. Three cases of diffuse B-cell malignant lymphomas, each developing as a parotid mass, were presented. The preoperative early diagnosis is essential in these cases to avoid an unnecessary radical procedure as well as to have a beneficial effect on the prognosis. If there were a possibility of malignant lymphoma, present authors stressed that an incisional biopsy should be performed for diagnosis. The usefulness of immunopathological diagnosis of these tumors has been discussed with regards to the prognosis.

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation in the Course of Advanced Head and Neck Tumor

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) is sometimes associated with advanced head and neck tumor. Three out of nine patients who developed DIG are presented. Two of the patients were effectively treated with a course of intravenous heparin sodium, but the other was not because of the sudden onset. Chemotherapy seemed to be a trigger of the development of DIC. In advanced cancer, leucocytosis and fever were the first symptoms in the development of DIG.