[Peripheral T-cell malignant lymphomas. Clinical, morphologic and developmental features in 22 cases]

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) represent a new subset of malignant lymphomas, which demonstrates a marked morphological, immunological and clinical diversity. They seem to have a worse prognosis globally than B-cell lymphomas. The main clinical characteristics and outcome of PTCL are analysed in this series of 22 cases. The majority of patients had an advanced disease (stages III and IV; 55 percent) and constitutional symptoms (59 percent) at presentation; extranodal localizations were particularly frequent (41 percent). Three patients presented with isolated or predominant spleen enlargement and fever. According to the updated Kiel classification, there were 7 low-grade PTCL and 15 high-grade PTCL. Phenotypic analysis on fresh frozen tissue was available in 16 cases, showing a predominant helper/inducer phenotype (CD4+, CD8-). The complete remission rate was 76 percent for the whole population, but the median of global survival was only 40 months. The few patients who received radiation therapy and subsequently relapsed did not relapse in the irradiated fields, which suggests that radiotherapy might be included in the therapeutic strategy, the best modalities of which remain to be defined.