Journal of B.U.ON., cilt.20, sa.6, ss.1526-1533, 2015 (SCI-Expanded)
Purpose: The primary extranodal non Hodgkin's lymphoma (EN-NHL) is a heterogeneous group of diseases with expression of different oncogenes compared to nodal NHLs. In this study, we aimed to compare the clinical and pathological findings, the prognostic f actors, the treatment and the survival data in patients with stage I-II primary EN-NHL with nodal NHL (N-NHL). Methods: Between January 1991 and January 2014, 853 patients with diagnosis of NHL were reviewed. Of 853 patients, 379 (44%) with stage I-II disease were included in the study and were divided into two groups according to involved sites as nodal and extranodal. The N-NHL group consisted of stage I-II patients without extranodal involvement, who were diagnosed by incisional or excisional lymph node biopsy. The EN-NHL group consisted of patients with a single primary extranodal involvement and/or a locore-gional lymph node involvement, and who were diagnosed by means of a biopsy from the extranodal region. Results: A total of 112 patients with N-NHL and 267 with EN-NHL were enrolled in the study. About 3/4 of the N-NHL patients had stage II, while 50% of the EN-NHL patients had stage I (p<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between EN-NHL and NHL in terms of 5-year overall survival (OS) (p=0.25). The median 5-year OS in the diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) subgroup with N-NHL was 52%, while that of the EN-NHL was 68% (p=0.006). Conclusion: Patients with stage I-II N-NHL had a poorer prognosis than EN-NHL patients. However, 5-year OS rates were similiar between groups.