Primary central nervous system lymphoma: clinical experience in a neurological center
*Correspondencia: Dr. Alberto González Aguilar. Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez. Insurgentes Sur, 3877. Col. La Fama. Deleg. Tlalpan. CP 14269. México DF, México.
E-mail: albertogonzalez@neurocirugia-innn.com
Introduction: Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system is a variety of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that accounts for 4-5% of intracranial tumours and 5% of all lymphomas. It has its origin in the brain, the eyes, the leptomeninges and the spinal cord with no systemic evidence of lymphomatoid activity; the subtype of lymphoma is predominantly of B-type cells.
Patients and methods: We conducted a descriptive study of the patients diagnosed with primary brain lymphoma who were attended to at third-level centres in Mexico between the years 1980 and 2016. Patients who had been screened for systemic lymphoma were included. The results were analysed by means of simple frequencies, and disease-free and overall survival time was analysed by Kaplan-Meier curves; the differences among curves were analysed by means of log rank.
Results: Of a total of 215 patients, there were only 74 cases. By sex, 45% were females and 55% were males. Regarding age, 36.7% were over 60 years old. The most frequent clinical manifestations were motor loss (60%) and cognitive disorders (52%). Most patients received some form of chemotherapy (89%). The only significant factor for radiological response and clinical prognosis was the combined use of radiochemotherapy (p = 0.04493).
Conclusion: Lymphoma is a tumorous condition with a high clinicoradiological response to treatment, although the response is not long-lasting. Its early identification and multidisciplinary management are essential for a more favourable prognosis in these patients.
Pacientes y métodos Estudio descriptivo de los pacientes diagnosticados con linfoma cerebral primario que fueron atendidos en centros de tercer nivel en México entre los años 1980 y 2016. Se incluyó a los pacientes que contaran con cribado para búsqueda de linfoma sistémico. Los resultados se analizaron mediante frecuencias simples; en el caso del tiempo libre de enfermedad y supervivencia global, mediante curvas de Kaplan-Meier, y las diferencias entre curvas, mediante log rank.
Resultados En un total de 215 pacientes sólo hubo 74 casos. El 45% fueron mujeres y el 55%, hombres. El 36,7% eran mayores de 60 años. Las manifestaciones clínicas más frecuentes fueron déficit motor (60%) y alteraciones cognitivas (52%). La mayoría recibió alguna forma de quimioterapia (89%). El único factor significativo para respuesta radiológica y pronóstico clínico era el uso combinado de radioquimioterapia (p = 0,04493).
Conclusión El linfoma representa una patología tumoral con alta respuesta clinicorradiológica al tratamiento, aunque la respuesta no es duradera. Es fundamental su identificación temprana y el tratamiento multidisciplinario para el mejor pronóstico de estos pacientes.
