Primary lymphoma of bone is a rare clinicopathological entity, but accurate diagnosis is important as the tumor is usually radiosensitive and associated with a good prognosis when locally eradicated. To our knowledge primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the zygoma has not been previously reported. We describe a case in which the radiographic appearances were misleading and computed tomography (CT) was important in diagnosing a malignant lesion. The differential diagnosis is discussed.