Introduction: Pancoast's syndrome is generally due to superior sulcus tumors, generally bronchial cancer. In rare cases, other causes are found, but these are potentially curable.
Case-report: A 78-year old woman with a long history of tobacco intake presented with Pancoast's syndrome in the form of a locally invasive left apical lung mass. Despite her advanced age and the diagnosis of the high probability of lung cancer, a transparietal biopsy procedure was nevertheless performed, with the subsequent diagnosis of primary malignant pulmonary lymphoma. The patient was satisfactorily treated by combined chemotherapy.
Conclusion: The present study has shown that malignant non-Hodgkin lymphomas should be considered in the etiology of the disease, and as a rare but potentially treatable cause of Pancoast's syndrome.