Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma involving the gynecologic tract: A review of 88 cases

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) involving the gynecologic tract is unusual and may cause confusion for the pathologist not familiar with its clinical and histologic features. The literature regarding this topic is also confusing , as modern NHL classification systems were not used or patients were not s taged according to the Ann Arbor system in many prior reports. In addition. immunophenotypic data is not available for many cases, particularly in ord er studies. In the past year, there has been an interest in NHL involving t he gynecologic tract and 88 cases have been collected. These cases were rev iewed in the Pathology Department of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center during the Fast two decades, and many of these patients were treated at this hospital . In this review, these cases are reported using updated terminology and al most all cases were immunophenotyped using immunohistochemical methods or f low cytometric methods in a small subset of cases. These cases have also be en segregated into two groups: 1) localized NHL, that presumably initially arose in the gynecologic tract and therefore are primary; and 2 NHL that in volved the gynecologic tract as a part of systemic disease, and therefore m ost likely represent secondary involvement of the gynecologic tract. The di fferential diagnosis of NHL involving gynecologic organs is discussed.