Kaposi's sarcoma after alpha-interferon treatment for HIV-negative T-cell lymphoma

54-year-old HIV-negative patient suffering from T -cell lymphoma of Lennert's lymphoma (Lel) type was treated for 13 months with interferon α-2b. While on treatment with interferon the patient demonstrated suppression of total and CD4+ lymphocytes to levels < 0,5 and 0,2 x 109/1, respectively. Although interferon was successful in controlling the lymphoma the clinical course was complicated by the rapid development of aggressive, fatal Kaposi's sarcoma shortly after cessation of interferon treatment.It is suggested that the immunosuppressive effect of interferon therapy (or the T -cell lymphoma or both) may have played a role in the development of Kaposi's sarcoma as a second malignancy

Breast lymphoma: A clinical and pathological review and 10-year treatment results

Sixteen patients presenting with lymphoma involving the breast are described. Seven fulfilled the criteria for primary breast lymphoma, while the other 9 had evidence (sometimes only detected after extensive staging procedures) of concurrent lymphomatous involvement outside the breast. Histological diagnoses of the so-called primary breast lymphomas included 1 case of Hodgkin's disease and 6 of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (including 2 with T-cell phenotypes). The patients with so-called secondary breast involvement included 8 with nonHodgkin's lymphoma and 1 with a plasmacytoma of the breast with concomitant myelomatous involvement of bone marrow. Among the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas involving the breast the whole range of histological subtypes from low-grade to high-grade lesions were seen. There was no subtype of lymphoma with a specific predilection for breast involvement. Expression of oestrogen receptor protein as determined by immunocytochemical investigation using specific monoclonal antibodies was uniformly negative in lymphoid cells of 11 patients studied. Most of the patients in this series were treated by chemotherapy with uniformly good local control of lymphomatous involvement of the breast and an outcome similar to that of lymphomas presenting at other body sites. It is concluded that the approach to lymphomas of the breast should be similar to that of the equivalent types presenting elsewhere

Primary breast lymphoma: Patient profile, outcome and prognostic factors. A multicentre Rare Cancer Network study

BACKGROUND: To asses the clinical profile, treatment outcome and prognostic factors in primary breast lymphoma (PBL). METHODS: Between 1970 and 2000, 84 consecutive patients with PBL were treated in 20 institutions of the Rare Cancer Network. Forty-six patients had Ann Arbor stage IE, 33 stage IIE, 1 stage IIIE, 2 stage IVE and 2 an unknown stage. Twenty-one underwent a mastectomy, 39 conservative surgery and 23 biopsy; 51 received radiotherapy (RT) with (n = 37) or without (n = 14) chemotherapy. Median RT dose was 40 Gy (range 12-55 Gy). RESULTS: Ten (12%) patients progressed locally and 43 (55%) had a systemic relapse. Central nervous system (CNS) was the site of relapse in 12 (14%) cases. The 5-yr overall survival, lymphoma-specific survival, disease-free survival and local control rates were 53%, 59%, 41% and 87% respectively. In the univariate analyses, favorable prognostic factors were early stage, conservative surgery, RT administration and combined modality treatment. Multivariate analysis showed that early stage and the use of RT were favorable prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: The outcome of PBL is fair. Local control is excellent with RT or combined modality treatment but systemic relapses, including that in the CNS, occurs frequently