Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the jaws: Immunohistochemical and genetic review of 10 cases

Purpose: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) comprises a group of malignant lympho proliferative diseases characterized by clonal expansion of lymphocytes at various levels of ontogenetic development. The aim of this study was to rev iew the immunohistochemical and cytogenetic features of 10 cases of NLH of the jaws to determine their respective derivation, Patients and Methods: Histopathologic and immunohistochemical review of 10 cases of large-cell lymphomas of the jaws, together with Southern blot anal ysis of 2 of the cases, was performed and results compared with the finding s in the literature. Results: In the 10 cases studied, the average age of onset of the NHL was 5 1 years, With a male-to-female ratio of 3:2, Tumefaction was the first clin ical sign of disease, Eight of 10 cases were high-grade, large-cell NHLs, c entroblastic type. Two cases were high-grade, large-cell NHL, immunoblastic type, Conclusion: The immunohistochemical and Southern blot data remain the princ ipal laboratory aids in the diagnosis and characterization of NHL, and they provide critical information for guiding clinicians to the appropriate tre atment protocol for these malignancies. (C) 2000 American Association of Or al and Maxillofacial Surgeons.