Not always 'squame': The rare entity of follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the tonsil presenting with cervical nodal metastases

Jaanri Brugman; Gerard de Bruyn; Komeela Naidoo; Marc Merven; Johan Opperman; Leon Janse van Rensburg

doi:10.4102/sajr.v24i1.1978

Not always 'squame': The rare entity of follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the tonsil presenting with cervical nodal metastases

SA J Radiol. 2020 Dec 17;24(1):1978. doi: 10.4102/sajr.v24i1.1978. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Jaanri Brugman¹, Gerard de Bruyn², Komeela Naidoo³, Marc Merven², Johan Opperman⁴, Leon Janse van Rensburg¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Radiodiagnosis, Department of Medical Imaging and Clinical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
² Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
³ Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Medical Imaging and Clinical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
⁴ Division of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.

Abstract

Although squamous cell carcinoma accounts for the overwhelming majority of head and neck malignant neoplasms, extranodal follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) of the pharyngeal region can have a similar clinical presentation. The histopathological features of this rare entity have been described and emphasised in the literature. We present the case of a 65-year-old male patient with FDCS of the tonsil to illustrate the radiologic findings of FDCS and also highlight this infrequent but salient differential diagnosis for adult head and neck neoplasia.

Keywords: follicular dendritic cell sarcoma; head and neck neoplasm; magnetic resonance; nodal metastasis; oropharynx; squamous cell carcinoma; tonsil.

Publication types

Case Reports