The buccal space is a potential anatomical space bounded by the buccinator muscle medially and the parotid space posteriorly. This space chiefly consists of adipose tissue named the Buccal fat pad. Other contents are the parotid duct, facial nerve, accessory parotid gland, buccinator lymph nodes, facial artery and vein. Here we report a case of malignant lymphoma arising in the Buccal space.
A 78-year-old woman presented with a painless tumor in her left cheek. The tumor had been present for approximately nine months and was slowly enlarging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) of the head and neck demonstrated a 32mm×30mm×27mm tumor in the left buccal space. We surgically removed this tumor through the transoral approach. The pathologic diagnosis was follicular lymphoma grade 2 and there was no lesion in other organizations, therefore, she was not treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. No sign of recurrence or metastatic lesion has so far been found postoperatively.