Malignant lymphoma. 1. The histology and staging of 473 patients at the National Cancer Institute

Abstract

A retrospective review was performed of 473 consecutive patients with malignant lymphoma referred to the National Cancer Institute. All patients had their clinical and pathologic material reviewed and where necessary reclassified. Using a modification of the Rappaport system, 180 (38.1%) patients had a nodular lymphoma, 293 (61.9%) had a diffuse lymphoma. Nodular lymphoma patients usually presented with lymphadenopathy; diffuse lymphoma patients often presented with extranodal disease, particularly those patients with poorly differentiated lymphocytic, "histiocytic", and Burkitt's lymphoma. Median age for all patients was 46 years, but was lower for diffuse poorly differentiated lymphocytic, diffuse undifferentiated, and Burkitt's lymphoma patients. Women were more likely to have a nodular rather than diffuse lymphoma. P less than 0.05. Analyzed by clinical staging, most nodular lymphoma patients had CS III (66.1%) disease, while most diffuse lymphoma patients had either CS III (31.1%) or CS IV (38.9%) disease. Analyzed by pathologic staging, most nodular lymphoma patients had PS III (34.8%) or PS IV (49.4%) disease, most diffuse lymphoma patients had PS IV (56.3%) disease. Only 7% of all lymphoma patients had PS I disease, only 14.9% were PS II. Systemic symptoms were more likely to be found in diffuse lymphoma and/or advanced stage patients.