Non-Hodgkin lymphoma affecting the tongue: unusual intra-oral location

INTRODUCTION: The expression non Hodgkin lymphoma is used to cover a wide group of lymphoid neoplasias unrelated to Hodgkin's disease, due to the huge histological variety and the tendency to affect organs and tissues that does not physiologically contain lymphoid cells. The intraoral location is not frequent (3 - 5 percent of cases) and the initial manifestations of the disease rarely take place here. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a 73 years old Italian caucasian male who came to our attention with a tongue lesion. The clinical manifestation was macroglossia and bleeding, probably deriving from the tongue-bite injuries. The patient had been complaining of dyspnea for 48 hours. CONCLUSION: A tongue affected by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma rarely occurs. In spite of this, this possibility should always be considered for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions affecting such area. A rapid diagnostic assessment, together with an adequate histopathologic verification, are indeed essential to improve the management and the prognosis of this disease.