PRIMARY LYMPHOMAS OF THE LUNG - MORPHOLOGICAL, IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL AND CLINICAL-FEATURES

Sixty‐two cases of primary malignant lymphoma of the were investigated. Fifty‐eight lymphomas were of B‐ and two of T‐cell type. Two cases of high‐grade homa could not be further classified. The largest group (43 cases) consisted of low‐grade B‐cell lymphoma of the bronchus‐associated lymphoid tissue. These showed features similar to low‐grade B‐cell lymphomas of the mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue of the stomach. The low‐grade lymphomas showed a peak occurrence in the sixth decade, the high‐grade lymphomas in venth decade. Males predominated slightly. Three‐quarters of the patients with low‐grade B‐cell lymphoma of the bronchus‐associated lymphoid tissue showed solitary or multiple sharply defined nodules of the lung. The prognosis of the B‐cell‐derived lung lymphomas without constitutional symptoms was relatively favourable, regardless of whether they were of low‐ or high‐grade malignancy, whereas patients with constitutional symptoms and the two patients with T‐cell lymphomas showed a bad prognosis. However, recurrences and metastases in the lung, stomach, lymph nodes and salivary glands were seen in about 46% of the cases of low‐grade B‐cell lymphoma of the bronchus‐associated lymphoid tissue. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved