Prognostic Factors of Malignant Lymphoma in the Sinonasal Tract and Nasopharynx

Woo, Hyun Jae; Bae, Chang Hoon; Song, Si Youn; Park, Soo Chan; Kim, Yong Dae

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There were only few studies for malignant lymphoma of sinonasal tract because of its relatively low incidence. The objectives of this study were to investigate clinical features, treatment outcomes, and prognostic factors in patients with malignant lymphoma of sinonasal tract and nasopharynx.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
Twenty patients diagnosed as sinonasal tract lymphoma from 1995 through 2004 were included in the retrospective analysis.
RESULTS
All the patients included in this study were Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The ratio of male to female was 1.6:1, and the ages ranged from 16 to 79 years (mean, 55 years). Nasal cavity was the most frequently involved site (42.3%). NK/T cell lymphoma was the most common histologic subtype (56.3%) in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus, whereas diffuse B cell lymphoma accounted for 60% of lymphomas involving the nasopharynx. The complete response rate and 5-year survival rate for the entire group were 53.8% and 45.5%, respectively. The predictive factors for poor survival were T-cell type, advanced Ann Arbor stage, single modality treatment, presence of B symptom, high serum LDH level, high Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scale score, and high international prognostic index (IPI) score in the univariate analysis (p<0.05). However, Ann Arbor stage and treatment modality were excluded from prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION
The distribution of histologic subtypes was different according to the site of involvement. Histologic classification, Ann Arbor stage, B symptom, serum LDH level, ECOG performance status, treatment modality, and IPI score are important prognostic factors.