MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA - A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF 80 CASES

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a relatively uncommon yet distinct type of malignant lymphoma whose clinical and pathological characterization has been limited by the small numbers of cases published to date, We studied 80 cases of MCL seen at a single institution over 7 years to d etermine both clinical and pathological prognostic factors, The patien ts in this study were predominantly male (70%) and older (mean age, 63 years) and presented with advanced-stage disease (88%), Extranodal in volvement was common. Median overall survival (OS) was 43 months. Exce pt for performance status, prognosis was not significantly influenced by clinical prognostic factors, Histologically, MCL architecture was c lassified as diffuse (78%), nodular (16%), or mantle creased mitotic a ctivity (>20 mitotic figures per 10 high power fields), blastic transf ormation, and peripheral blood involvement at diagnosis also predicted for a worse outcome, but bone marrow involvement did not. The presenc e or absence of a translocation t(11;14) by cytogenetic analysis or a bcl-1 rearrangement by Southern analysis did not significantly predict outcome. In summary, this study of 80 cases of MCL highlights its dis tinctive clinicopathologic features and shows that increased mitotic a ctivity, blastic morphology, and peripheral blood involvement at diagn osis are prognostically important factors. (C) 1997 by The American So ciety of Hematology.