Synchronous CIN 3 and cervical lymphoma: a case report and review of the literature

Primary cervical lymphoma is rare, with less than 60 cases reported in the English literature, including a few cases of synchronous cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) with cervical lymphoma. We describe a 42-year-old woman with CIN 3 and malignant lymphoma of the cervix. The Papanicolaou cytology only revealed dysplastic cells of CIN 3, but not the malignant lymphoid cells. The histology of the cervix revealed diffuse infiltration of monotonous medium-sized lymphoid cells with dispersing tingible bodies, and a Burkitt's lymphoma in combination with a small CIN 3 lesion was diagnosed. Neither human papillomavirus nor Epstein-Barr virus was identified by polymerase chain reaction or in situ hybridization. The patient developed leukemic spreading and died soon after surgery.