Tonsillar lymphoma masquerading as obstructive sleep apnea - pediatric case report.

The commonest cause of head and neck malignancy in pediatric patients is lymphoma. A particular case is the tonsillar lymphoma. Even though unilateral tonsillar enlargement represents an ominous sign for neoplasia, clinical manifestations vary and are non-specific. Therefore, a delayed diagnosis is performed which compromises optimal therapy and hinders the prognosis. We present the case of a 5-year-old boy who was initially diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, without reported systemic complaints. Asymmetric tonsillar hypertrophy created the premises for performing a tonsillectomy to rule out malignancy. The pathological evaluation of the resected tonsils revealed a malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with immunophenotypic features consistent with sporadic type Burkitt lymphoma. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of the histopathological examination and of the immunohistochemistry testing for the prompt and accurate diagnosis of all asymmetric tonsillar hypertrophy in children undergoing tonsillectomy. Furthermore, immunohistochemical diagnosis is vital for establishing a personalized multi-agent chemotherapy regimen, which dramatically improves the survival rate. We recommend histopathological evaluation in all children with asymmetric tonsillar hypertrophy undergoing tonsillectomy for various reasons. Needless to say, it is better to be cautious and exclude the presence of tonsillar lymphoma, than to confront with the severe consequences of misdiagnosis.