Primary Thyroid Lymphomas: Clinicopathologic Study of 10 Cases and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Non-Hodgkin thyroid primitive lymphomas are rare; they account less than 2 to 5% of thyroid cancers. The objective of this study is to report the clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary of ten cases collected in 33 years of thyroid lymphoma features, in which the female sex was exclusive. The median age at diagnosis was 56.5 years and the call signs were in all cases represented by a neck mass associated to a rapid local changing with obstructive symptoms facts of dyspnea and dysphonia. The histopathological diagnosis with immunostaining after surgery, found in all cases a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with a predominance of large cell form. The coexisting of Lymphocytic Hashimoto's thyroiditis with primary malignant thyroid lymphoma was found in 20% of cases. Concerning the treatment of lymphoma, all patients were operated because of compressive character of goiter. Three patients were treated with chemotherapy alone and five by combining chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. Two women were unfortunately died before any treatment. The evolution was marked by the deaths of two patients two months after chemotherapy. No tumor recurrence was observed in the other patients (60%) after a mean follow-up of four years .The prognosis of localized stages is generally favorable.