Clinicopathologic characteristics of T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a single institution experience

Abstract

Background/aims: Although the incidence of T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is higher in Far East Asia than in Western countries, its incidence and clinical course in Korea are not well-defined. Therefore, we assessed the relative frequency and clinical features of T-cell NHL in Korea.

Methods: We performed a retrospetcive analysis of 586 patients with NHL.

Results: 101 (17.2%) had T-cell NHL. The most frequent subtypes of T-cell NHL were extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (NASAL), peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified type (PTCL-U), and anaplastic large cell lymphoma, T/null cell, primary systemic type (ALCL). The seven pathological subtypes could be classified into three prognostic subgroups. When patients with the three most frequent subtypes were grouped together, their survival was reflected in the International Prognostic Index (IPI) scores. Univariate analysis of IPI elements and other clinical features showed that clinical stage and extranodal sites were significant predictors of survival. Cox multivariate analysis showed that the number of extranodal sites was the only independent prognostic indicator.

Conclusions: The relative frequency of T-cell NHL seems to be decreasing in Korea, although NASAL remains frequent. Korean patients with ALCL appear to have an unfavorable prognosis. Large-scale studies are warranted for Korean patients with T-cell NHL.

Keywords: Lymphoma; Peripheral; T-cell.

Figure 1

Histology of T-cell NHL. NASAL, extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal; PTCL-U, peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified; ALCL, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, T/null cell, primary systemic type; T-LBL, precursor T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma; AITL, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma; ETTL, enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma; ALCL-C, ALCL-cutaneous.

Figure 2

Overall survival of all patients.

Figure 3

Overall survival (OS) according to histology. The seven pathological subtypes observed could be classified into three prognostic subgroups (favorable, intermediate, and unfavorable) with respect to the OS. NASAL, extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal; PTCL-U, peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspec-ified; ALCL, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, T/null cell, primary systemic type; T-LBL, precursor T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma; AITL, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma; ETTL, enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma; ALCL-C, ALCL-cutaneous.

Figure 4

Overall survival according to the International Prognostic Index (IPI) score. Low-risk, IPI score 0, 1; low-intermediate risk, IPI score 2; high-intermediate risk, IPI score 3; high-risk, IPI score 4, 5.