Extranodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas: a retrospective study

Abstract

The involvement of extranodal sites is a common feature during
the course of most non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). However, some
NHL emerge from different places other than the lymph nodes
or spleen and are referred to as primary extranodal lymphoma
(PE-NHL). The purpose of this study is to illustrate the clinicopathological features of patients presenting PE-NHL.
Among 125 patients studied with NHL, 37 cases (30%) were PE-NHL.
The ratio men/women was 1:1, with a mean age of 61 years
old. There were 8 lymphomas (20%) of T-phenotype and 29
(80%) of B-phenotype. Skin and gastrointestinal tract were the
most common sites, 32.4% and 29.7% respectively; 24% had
B symptoms; 81% were localized (stage IE or IIE). Histologically
(WHO classification), 3% of all cases had high aggressive features (Burkitt lymphoma), 68% aggressive and 29% indolent.
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) accounted for 51% and
MALT lymphoma for 14% of all cases. According to International
Prognostic Index (IPI), 7% of our patients were in the high risk
group, 3% in the intermediate high, 20% in the intermediate low
and 70% in the low risk group.
In conclusion, PE-NHL is a heterogeneous group of diseases,
most of them localized in the skin and gastrointestinal tract. We
found a higher percentage of T phenotype cases than those for
nodal NHL. DLBCL was the most frequent histological subtype
lymphoma. IPI was predictive of survival, but its use is uncertain
on PE-NHL, because it can not stratify patients homogeneously