A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOHISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF NON-HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT

Abstract

One hundred thirty-three cases (Stomach: 83 cases, Small intestine: 39 cases, Large intestine: llcases) of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arising from the gastrointestinal tract were clinicopathologically and immunohistologically studied.
The 5 year survival rate was 45.6% for the stomach, 33.6% for the small intestine and 65.6 for the large intestine. Most of the deceased cases lived no longer than one year after operation.
The important prognostic factors were the number of tumor lesions, the histological type by proliferative pattern, the depth of invasion into the wall, the involvement of regional lymph nodes and the reaction of non-neoplastic lymphocytes around the tumor tissue.
Immunohistologically, 15 cases of examined 50 cases were positive for intracytoplasmic immunoglobulin in the tumor cells and there were 4 cases with polyclonal pattern.
Most of lymphomas of the gastrointestinal tract were thought to be derived from B-cell, because seventy percent of them histologically showed nodular or vague nodular pattern, intracytoplasmic immunoglobulins were positive even in some cases of diffuse lymphomas, and they showed better prognosis than T-cell lymphomas in Kagoshima prefecture.