Primary pulmonary non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas

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Abstract
We report a retrospective study of the pathological features in 69 primary pulmonary non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas which have previously been clinically reviewed. The tumours consisted of 61 (88%) low‐grade and eight (12%) high‐grade malignant lymphomas. Fifty‐four of the low‐grade malignant lymphomas were MALT lymphomas. Lymphoepithelial lesions were observed in bronchial, bronchiolar and alveolar lining. All tumours were composed of nodules, forming a lymphangitic pattern at the periphery and a confluent central mass. Invasion of pleura and vessels was often seen but this without any consequence on survival. Granulomas were found in 20% of cases. Six of the eight high‐grade tumours were centroblastic and another two were B‐cell lymphomas of undetermined type. In four cases, associated areas of low‐grade malignant lymphoma with lympho‐epithelial lesions indicated a preexisting MALT lymphoma. Clinical data suggest that limited surgery or non‐aggressive chemotherapy can provide long‐term survival in patients with such slowly developing neoplasms. However, non‐invasive diagnostic methods need to be developed.