Sternal Hodgkin’s lymphoma: A case report and review of literature

Background Sternal tumors are difficult to diagnose, and usually need to be differentiated from other diseases such as tuberculosis, osteosarcoma, intrathoracic thyroid and thymoma. The sternum is a rare site of Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is often misdiagnosed as tuberculosis on routine histopathology. Case summary We reported a 47-year-old female patient with chest pain in the upper sternum for 1 mo. Chest computed tomography found a mass in the upper sternum. Pathology and immunohistochemistry of the biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of typical Hodgkin's lymphoma (mixed cellularity subtype). Patient was diagnosed with primary sternal Hodgkin's lymphoma and administered 6 cycles of adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine chemotherapy. Patient had no tumor recurrence and progression at a follow-up visit 2 years later. Conclusion This study highlights the rarity of primary sternal Hodgkin's lymphoma and the challenges of its diagnosis. A PubMed and Web of Science search revealed 10 reported cases of sternal involvement in Hodgkin's lymphoma.