IE Mucosa-associated Lymphoid Tissue Research Articles

Role of Surgery in Patients with Stage IE Primary Thyroid MALT Lymphoma Staged by a Modified Classification System: The Tokyo Classification.

To establish the appropriate staging system and assess the role of curative thyroidectomy alone (Surgery) vs. involved-site radiation therapy after open biopsy (OB-ISRT) in stage IE mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. We examined the Tokyo Classification as a modified classification. This retrospective cohort study included 256 patients with thyroid MALT lymphoma; 137 underwent standard therapy (i.e., OB-ISRT) and were enrolled for the Tokyo classification. Sixty stage IE patients with the same diagnosis were examined to compare Surgery with OB-ISRT. Overall survival (p = 0.0092) and relapse-free survival (0.00113) were significantly better in stage IE vs. stage IIE under the Tokyo classification. No OB-ISRT and Surgery patients died, but three OB-ISRT patients relapsed. The incidence of permanent complications was 28% in OB-ISRT (mainly dry mouth) and 0% in Surgery (p = 0.027). The number of painkiller prescription days was significantly greater in OB-ISRT (p < 0.001). During follow-up, the rate of the new appearance/change of the low-density area in the thyroid gland was significantly higher in OB-ISRT (p = 0.031). The Tokyo classification allows an appropriate discrimination between stages IE and IIE MALT lymphoma. Surgery can provide a good prognosis in stage IE cases; it also avoids complications, shortens painful periods during treatment, and simplifies ultrasound follow-up.

Clinical Evaluation of 24 Cases of Primary Thyroid Malignant Lymphoma

We analyzed open biopsy in diagnosing primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) and tumor management with compression symptoms and therapy. We retrospectively studied 24 subjects diagnosed with PTL from December 1997 to June 2010. Open biopsy was done in 23 of 24 subjects. Incisional biopsy was done in 14, 13 of whom yielded sufficient materials in the first biopsy. Excisional biopsy was done in the remaining 9, 2 of whom developed permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy after biopsy. The five with airway obstruction underwent incisional biopsy followed by immediate steroid administration of dexamethasone or methylprednisolone. All had histopathologically confirmed diagnosis and airway symptoms were resolved within a few days. Multidisciplinary therapy including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery was applied in 20 of 24 subjects. Single therapy was done in 4-chemotherapy in 2 and radiotherapy and surgery in 1 each. Overall results were satisfactory, with a 92% 10-year disease-free survival rate and an 86% 10-year overall survival rate based on the Kaplan-Meier method with 46-month median follow up. When diagnosing PTL, especially large tumors spreading into extrathyroid tissue, incisional biopsy is more advantageous in histopathological diagnosis than excisional biopsy due to the lower risk of surgical complications. In a case involving a small intrathyroidal nodule, excisional biopsy is safer and more diagnostically accurate. In an airway obstruction emergency, once a definitive diagnosis is made, steroid administration plus endotracheal intubation, if necessary, for airway management is optimal management. Subjects with stage IE mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas can be treated with radiotherapy or surgery alone. Those with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or greater than stage IE MALT lymphoma, however, should be treated with multidisciplinary therapy because they have a potentially poor outcome.

Successful Treatment of Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma of the Rectum with Radiation Therapy: Report of a Case

We report a case of Stage IE mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma arising in the rectum, which was successfully treated with radiotherapy. A 60-year-old man had several months of altered bowel habit with rectal bleeding and was found to have a large rectal tumor with no evidence of distant spread. Histologic studies showed this to be a mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. The patient received 45 Gy in 25 fractions with external beam radiotherapy during 5 weeks. The treatment was well tolerated and review at 41 months revealed no evidence of recurrence.