Kikuchi Disease Masquerading as a T-Cell Lymphoma

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease, also known as histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, is most prevalent in Asia and has been increasingly recognized in other parts of the world. It usually occurs more frequently in females and presents as fever and localized cervical lymphadenopathy. It resolves spontaneously, usually over a period of several weeks up to 6 months. Its initial clinical features are commonly similar to that of a lymphoma, and it can be misdiagnosed both by clinicians and pathologists. Kikuchi disease has been associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. We report a case of Kikuchi disease that occurred in a 25-year-old female patient that masqueraded as a T-cell lymphoma.