Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma of Talus: A Case Report

Primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the bone (PLB) represents about 3% - 5% of all extranodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) cases and 7% of primary bone tumors. It may occur at any age. The peak incidence for PLB is in the fifth and sixth decades of life, and it has a slight male predominance. The most commonly affected sites are the long bones. A palpable mass due to soft tissue extension of the bony disease is seen in almost half of all cases.
We report the case of an NHL (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma) in the talus bone of a 17-year-old boy who was referred to our center in 2011 - 2012, which had an odd presentation. The patient’s first diagnosis was a simple ankle sprain, and he underwent conservative treatment. Given the patient’s deteriorating symptoms, further paraclinical evaluations were conducted, and fracture of the talus was diagnosed, which was thought to be a cause of further osteonecrosis. Finally, because of lack of pain relief and due to MRI images, the suspicion of malignancy was raised. Open biopsy of the talus showed NHL (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma).
The present case is interesting because it expresses how such lesions can be met with diagnostic confusion.