PRIMARY NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA OF THE LUNG - WILL VIDEOTHORACOSCOPIC BIOPSY CHANGE DECISION-MAKING WITH REGARD TO RESECTION OF THIS DISEASE

We report on a 57-year-old male presenting with cough and chest pain a s well as a chronic infiltrate in the right posterior basel segment. A ntibiotic treatment had been unsuccessful, CT-guided needle-biopsy and bronchoscopy had failed to forward reliable results. Thus, videothora coscopic biopsy was performed and histologic diagnosis of a low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was obtained. The tumor was left in situ and si ngle-agent chemotherapy was initiated for reasons which are discussed. Up to now localized pulmonary lymphomas were mainly resected in the c ourse of an exploratory thoracotomy because the disease often could no t be diagnosed with certainty previously. It is discussed whether surg ical resection is still the best choice or other treatment modalities should be preferred.