PRIMARY NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA OF THE MAXILLARY SINUS

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the maxillary sinus is a rare lesion , We studied nine patients with malignant lymphoma involving the maxil lary sinus, treated between 1980 and 1994 in the Kyushu University Hos pital, All lymphomas had a diffuse pattern; five were the large-cell t ype, two the mixed type, and one the small lymphatic and small cleaved type. Immunohistologically, all tumors were B-cell type. Using the An n Arbor staging system, six patients were classified as stage I, two s tage II, and one stage IV. Two patients received only radiotherapy bec ause of advanced age; the remaining seven received a combination of ra diotherapy and chemotherapy (CHOP or VEPA). The tumor doses ranged fro m 30 to 51 Gy (mean, 46.7). The mean follow-up was 51 months. Only one patient (stage IV) died of disease, and eight stage I-II patients wer e rendered disease-free. The 5-year survival rate was 80%, suggesting that primary lymphoma of the maxillary sinus has a relatively good pro gnosis.