A Case of Primary CD56+ T/NK Cell Lymphoma of the Colon

Kim, Hyun Soo; Lee, Dong Ki; Kim, Jae Woo; Seo, Jeong In; Baik, Soon Koo; Kwon, Sang Ok

Abstract

Primary T/natural killer (NK) cell lymphoma of the colon is extremely rare. Although this tumor is well known to arise in the nasal cavity and upper aerodigestive tract, only a few cases have been reported in the colon as an extranodal disease, which were mainly reported in East Asia. Recently, several authors have described the clinicopathologic, immunophenotypic, and genotypic features of CD56-positive tumor as a distinct subgroup due to its aggressive clinical behavior and poor prognosis. However, primary T/NK cell lymphoma of the colon may present a difficult diagnostic challenge to physicians because the symptoms and colonoscopic findings are non-specific and available data in the literature are very limited. We herein describe a case of primary T/NK cell lymphoma of the colon presenting as ulcerative lesions similar to Crohn's colitis and complicated by cecal bleeding/perforation.