
Large B-Cell Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer involving the cells of the immune system. About 74,030 people living in the US will be diagnosed with lymphoma in 2010. And an estimated 21,530 persons will die of lymphoma in the US in 2010. (LLS booklet Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma Facts 2010-2011) Primary lymphomas of the the oral cavity are uncommon, accounting for only about 2% of all extra nodal lymphomas. Patients present with soft tissue swelling, pain, ulceration, parasthesia, and teeth loosening. It is important that your dentist knows the signs of Lymphoma. Dentists can also identify signs of B-cell lymphoma whose primary site is not in the oral cavity. Almost 23% of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presented with involvement of an extra nodal head or neck site. (A. Urquhart and R. Berg, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the head and neck, Laryngoscope 111 (2001), pp. 1565–1569) By knowing the signs of B-cell lymphoma, dentists can play an important role in early detection of this disease.