The distribution of lymphoproliferative diseases among tonsillar malignancies

Aim: We aimed to determine the type and distribution of pathological conditions and lymphoproliferative disorders in examined tonsillectomy specimens, and to review our results in view of the literature findings.Material and Methods: The pathology reports of 491 tonsillectomy specimens diagnosed between January 2000-May 2008 were screened.Results: Totally 58 cases showing malignant infiltration in the tonsil composed of lymphoma (n:33-6%), squamous cell carcinoma (n:22-4%), plasmacytoma (n:1-1%) and malignant melanom (n:2-1%). The most common type of lymphoma in our series was diffuse large Bcell lymphoma (n:22-66%).Conclusion: In contrast to other findings, lymphomas were the most common malignant neoplasms in the tonsillar region in our series. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most frequent type of lymphoma. We think that tonsillectomy specimens of the patients who have known clinical risk factors should be examined histopathologically, especially in adults.