Pediatric anaplastic large cell lymphoma misdiagnosed as multiple organ abscesses: a case report and literature review

We report the case of a 6-year-old male with fever, left maxillofacial swelling, cervical and mediastinal masses, and lymphadenopathy who developed respiratory failure and shock caused by tracheal compression and superior vena cava reflux disorder. The initial diagnosis was maxillary sinus, cervical, and mediastinal abscesses. Initial treatments included maxillary sinus abscess resection, neck abscess incision drainage, and antibiotics. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) was diagnosed ultimately according to pathological and immunohistochemical examination of cervical lesion biopsy tissue. We analyze the reasons for misdiagnosis by comparing clinical and pathological features of ALCL to other systemic illnesses that cause lymphadenopathy.