Burkitt's lymphoma of the skull base presenting as cavernous sinus syndrome in early childhood

Abstract

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the skull base presenting with neuro-ophthalmologic abnormalities or cavernous sinus involvement is very rare in children. We have found only 13 reported cases of cavernous sinus involvement by lymphoma [1]. We report the case of the youngest child diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma of the cavernous sinus and sphenoid sinus, whose first presentation was cavernous sinus syndrome with neuro-ophthalmologic findings.

Burkitt Lymphoma with Initial Clinical Presentation due to Infiltration of the Central Nervous System and Eye Orbits

“…The involvement of facial bones, including the orbital extension and exophthalmos, are common in the endemic form but rare in the sporadic form, with few cases reported in the literature [12,13]. Burkitt lymphomas primarily involving the brain are extremely rare, with fewer than 10 cases reported in the literature [14–17].…”

Burkitt's lymphoma: a rare cause of isolated trigeminal neuralgia in a child

“…The presence of Burkitt's lymphoma in the paranasal sinuses is rare. This case is one of the few reported cases of true Burkitt lymphoma originating in the pterygomaxillary area with central skull base destruction and intracranial extension [2]. This serious disease may have rapid progression with minimal neurological symptoms.…”

“…The sporadic form of this malignancy occurs primarily in children aged 10 to 14 years, and often manifests as an abdominal mass; it rarely involves the head and neck [1,2]. The presence of Burkitt's lymphoma in the paranasal sinuses is rare.…”

Metastatic B-cell lymphoma of the cecum masquerading as Tolosa-Hunt syndrome

“…Central nervous system lymphomas usually result from either direct extension from a primary lesion within the head and neck region or from haematogenous metastases of distant lesions. 7,8 Primary cavernous sinus malignant lymphoma is extremely rare. 9 In our case, we do not have histopathologic proof of the etiology of the cavernous sinus mass, but we presume that it is a metastatic focus of the cecal B-cell lymphoma, a rare location for non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.…”