{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T06:12:20Z","timestamp":1771481540324,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771459200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oncol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) arising in skeletal muscle is exceedingly rare. We present a case of low-grade B-cell NHL involving the sternocleidomastoid muscle. A 67-year-old male presented with an asymptomatic, slowly growing left neck mass. Imaging revealed a 17 mm \u00d7 11 mm intramuscular nodule, initially suggestive of a benign lesion. Excisional biopsy demonstrated lymphoid proliferation with muscle infiltration. Immunohistochemistry revealed CD20(+), PAX5(+), BCL2(+), and monoclonal IgH rearrangement, consistent with low-grade B-cell NHL, most likely extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (ENMZL), non-gastric\/non-cutaneous type. Staging confirmed Lugano stage I disease. Given the indolent nature, the patient was managed with active surveillance. This case highlights an unusual intramuscular presentation of NHL, emphasizing the importance of histopathological and molecular evaluation for accurate diagnosis and tailored management.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2026.1723488","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T05:23:35Z","timestamp":1771478615000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Low-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the sternocleidomastoid muscle: a case report and review of literature"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Guiping","family":"Peng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ultrasonic and Jiujiang City Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy, Jiujiang NO.1 People\u2019s Hospital","place":["Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiang","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiovascular and Jiujiang City Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy, Jiujiang NO.1 People\u2019s Hospital","place":["Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Miao","family":"Dai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geriatrics and Jiujiang City Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy, Jiujiang NO.1 People\u2019s Hospital","place":["Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China"]},{"name":"Chronic Disease Management Center, Jiujiang NO.1 People\u2019s Hospital","place":["Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1182\/asheducation-2005.1.307","article-title":"Clinical presentation and management of marginal zone lymphomas","author":"Thieblemont","year":"2005","journal-title":"Hematol Am Soc Hematol Educ Program"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1742","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers14071742","article-title":"Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma: pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment","volume":"14","author":"Di Rocco","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cancers (Basel)"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3760\/cma.j.cn121090-20250220-00081","article-title":"Expert consensus on the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of indolent B-cell lymphomas in China","volume":"46","author":"Yi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Zhonghua Xue Ye Xue Za Zhi"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00277-025-06283-4","article-title":"An unexpected find of multifocal extranodal marginal zone lymphoma","volume":"104","author":"Van den Bosch","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ann Hematol"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.32074\/1591-951X-161","article-title":"Gastrointestinal lymphoproliferative lesions: a practical diagnostic approach","volume":"112","author":"Pizzi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pathologica"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3019","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers14123019","article-title":"Management of extranodal marginal zone lymphoma: present and upcoming perspectives","volume":"14","author":"Kaddu-Mulindwa","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cancers (Basel)"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/RLU.0000000000005311","article-title":"18 F-FAPI-42 versus 18 F-FDG PET\/MRI in a case of primary peripheral T-cell lymphoma of the skeletal muscles","volume":"49","author":"Ran","year":"2024","journal-title":"Clin Nucl Med"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clinimag.2014.03.006","article-title":"Imaging findings of skeletal muscle lymphoma","volume":"38","author":"Surov","year":"2014","journal-title":"Clin Imaging"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"136","DOI":"10.1186\/s12880-021-00667-4","article-title":"Imaging features of skeletal muscle lymphoma: a case report and literature review","volume":"21","author":"Gao","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Med Imaging"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1102\/1470-7330.2013.0036","article-title":"Imaging of musculoskeletal lymphoma","volume":"13","author":"Lim","year":"2013","journal-title":"Cancer Imaging"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e240175","DOI":"10.1148\/rg.240175","article-title":"Musculoskeletal lymphoma: imaging features, diagnosis, and assessment of treatment response","volume":"45","author":"Sleeth","year":"2025","journal-title":"Radiographics"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00256-024-04680-w","article-title":"Extranodal natural killer\/T cell lymphoma of the skeletal muscle","volume":"54","author":"di Gaeta","year":"2025","journal-title":"Skeletal Radiol"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/RLU.0000000000002180","article-title":"Intramuscular follicular lymphoma","volume":"43","author":"Martins","year":"2018","journal-title":"Clin Nucl Med"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.6004\/jnccn.2023.0057","article-title":"NCCN guidelines\u00ae Insights: B-cell lymphomas, version 6.2023","volume":"21","author":"Zelenetz","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Natl Compr Canc Netw"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Oncology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fonc.2026.1723488\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T05:23:37Z","timestamp":1771478617000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fonc.2026.1723488\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]]},"references-count":14,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fonc.2026.1723488"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fonc.2026.1723488","relation":{},"ISSN":["2234-943X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2234-943X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]]},"article-number":"1723488"}}