A Rare Case of Nodular Lymphocyte Predominance Hodgkin’s Lymphoma of the Parotid Gland: Diagnostic Pitfall in Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology

Background: Primary malignant lymphoma of the salivary glands is a very rare entity, and primary parotid Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (HL) is even rarer. It is rare in the initial evaluation to suspect a parotid tumor. Thus, it is important to keep lymphomatous involvement in mind when facing parotid masses in differential diagnosis.

Case presentation: This study presented a case of a 56-year-old male with a five-month history of left cheek enlargement. Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) biopsy was performed with no suspicion for lymphoma. Parotidectomy was also done and nodular lymphocyte predominance HL within the parotid gland was confirmed by immunohistochemical study.

Conclusions: The Nodular Lymphocyte Predominance Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NLPHL) has been defined as a specific histopathological subtype of HL. The initial diagnostic approach is usually carried out through FNA, obtaining high sensitivity and specificity, which allows establishing an adjusted for co-correct diagnosis.