An unusual case of solitary scalp mass reveals malignant lymphoma in a child, suggesting need for careful diagnosis.
Pediatric B-cell precursor lymphoblastic lymphoma (BCP-LBL) is a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with a predominantly extramedullary presentation. Cutaneous and subcutaneous involvement, particularly in the head region, is a recognized manifestation; however, presentation as a solitary scalp mass mimicking a benign surgical lesion remains diagnostically challenging. A 10-year-old female patient presented to the Neurosurgery Department for a growing mass in the right frontal region of the scalp for the past 4 months. After excision, the mass was diagnosed as BCP-LBL and the patient was referred to oncologic treatment. This report aims to increase awareness among surgeons and physicians that persistent or progressive pediatric scalp lesions, even when clinically benign-appearing, may represent an underlying malignant hematologic disease requiring prompt histopathological verification and specialist referral.
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Bardońska et al. (2026) studied this question.
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