Non-hodgkin’s lymphoma of the frontal sinus

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) of the head and neck area is rare, and constitutes 0.4%–2% of all extranodal lymphomas and 6.4%–13% of extranodal lymphomas of the head and neck area^1–6. The maxillary antrum, nasal cavity and ethmoid sinus are the most common sites for this tumor³. Prognosis of the NHL affecting the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity is poor with 33% of survival at 5 years^5–7. Failure of the treatment is local and with distant metastasis. Radiotherapy permits disease-free survival at 5 years in T1–T2 of 78% and in T3–T4 of 18%⁷. Only three cases in the literature have been described affecting the frontal sinus, in two cases there was infiltration of the other paranasal sinuses and in one case there was an isolated primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the frontal sinus^3,4 (Medline from 1966 to 2001). We present the second case reported in the literature of NHL exclusively affecting the frontal sinus showing local control 5 years after diagnosis.