Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck in patients with AIDS.

The clinical and histologic features of five homosexual men with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who developed extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the head and neck region are presented. The primary sites of these malignant neoplasms include the larynx, palate, alveolar ridge, nasal vestibule, and skin overlying the mastoid tip. In all cases, the patients' lymphomas followed an aggressive clinical course with frequent central nervous system involvement. Although, to our knowledge, this is the first report of head and neck lymphomas in patients with AIDS, this malignant neoplasm has been demonstrated to occur at other anatomic sites in such patients with an incidence far greater than that found in the general population. A high index of suspicion for lymphomas and other unusual malignant neoplasms is required on the part of the otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon when evaluating patients with AIDS.