PRIMARY DIFFUSE LARGE B-CELL LYMPHOMA OF THE BREAST A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF 31 CASES

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the breast is a rare neoplasm for wh ich survival data vary among the reported studies. Thirty-one cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the breast, which had been seen in c onsultation from 1973 to 1985 at our institution, were reviewed. This represents the largest number of lymphomas of this histologic subtype reported to date in the English literature. Histologic examination and immunophenotypic analysis were performed and the results were correla ted with clinicopathologic data. The patient population consisted of 2 9 females and 2 males with a mean patient age of 58.2 years. At the ti me of diagnosis, 26 patients had unilateral involvement (16 left, 10 r ight), and 5 had bilateral disease. Mean tumor size was 3.8 cm. Histol ogically, all cases showed a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma as classifi ed by the Revised European-American Classification of Lymphoid Neoplas ms (R.E.A.L Classification). Immunophenotypic studies on paraffin sect ions confirmed a B-cell lineage in every case. The majority of patient s received chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The median survival was 36 months, confirming that this neoplasm has a poor prognosis.