TESTICULAR LYMPHOMA - A POPULATION-BASED STUDY OF INCIDENCE, CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CORRELATIONS AND PROGNOSIS

In a Danish population-based non-Hodgkin's lymphoma registry, 2687 new ly diagnosed patients were registered from 1983 to 1992. 39 had testic ular involvement (TL) (incidence 0.26/10(5)/year). Median age was 71 y ears. 24 cases had localised and 15 had disseminated disease. Histolog ically, all cases were diffuse (65% diffuse centroblastic type). Of th e 27 tested, 11% were of T- and 89% of B-immunophenotype. In localised cases, where surgery was supplemented by combination chemotherapy (CC T), the relapse rate was 15.4%. The relapse rate for cases with locali sed disease treated with other regimens (orchiectomy and/or radiothera py) was 63.6% (P < 0.05). Median relapse-free survival was 28 and 14 m onths, respectively. Overall 5-year survival for all cases was 17%. Ad verse prognostic factors at the univariate level were stage IV, consti tutional symptoms, serum lactic dehydrogenase elevation and performanc e score (WHO 3-4). It is suggested that the treatment of stage I-E/IIE TL should include early CCT and CNS prophylaxis.