Objective: To summarize the clinical features, diagnostic and therapeutic experiences of colorectal Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).
Methods: Clinical data of 32 patients with colorectal NHL admitted to our hospital from January 1988 to December 2006 was retrospectively analyzed.
Results: This study included 22 B-cell NHL and 10 T-cell NHL cases. In the B-cell NHL group, the male: female ratio was 14:8 and the median age was 60.5 years. In the T-cell NHL group, the male: female ratio was 5:5 and the median age was 31.0 years. The ileocecal region was most frequently involved in both groups, which accounted for 77.3% and 60.0% of the B and T group respectively. The common clinical manifestations included abdominal pain, weight loss, and abdominal mass. Of the 14 cases of B-cell NHL with definite subtype classifications, 64.3% were of the Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) type. Among the 22 B-cell NHL, 40.9% were with localized diseases (stage I-II1), while all 10 patients in T-cell NHL group were in stage IV with 3 patients complicated with massive GI bleeding and 4 with perforation. All patients of B-cell type received chemotherapy utilizing mainly CHOP after surgical resection. After a median follow-up of 55 months, the disease-free survival was rate 88.2%. Among the T-cell NHL group, 8 out of 10 patients underwent surgery and chemotherapy was given to all those who could tolerate it. Five patients died within 2 months after surgery. It's known that 3 patients were still alive after 23 months.
Conclusions: The ileocecal region is the most frequently involved site of the colorectal NHL. The histology is usually B-cell type with a majority being DLBCL. Currently R-CHOP chemotherapy after the surgical resection is the principal treatment modality. Patients of B-cell type have a better prognosis while the prognosis of T-cell NHL is poor. Therefore more aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are recommended for T-cell NHL patients. The prospective of organ preservation treatment for colorectal NHL is still in need of further investigations.