[Treatment outcome in primary testicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma]

Primary testicular lymphoma constitutes a rare subgroup among extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Because of its aggressive clinical behaviour due to high grade histological features developing mainly in older population, patients with this disease usually have a poor prognosis. Orchidectomy followed by combination immunochemotherapy is a traditional treatment method with a rather inferior outcome.

In this retrospective survey the authors analysed the clinical presentation, pathological features and treatment results of patients with primary testicular lymphoma diagnosed and treated in their haematology centre between 2000-2012 METHOD: During this period 334 patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were treated, of whom 8 patients (2.39%; age between 23 and 86 years; median, 60 years) underwent semicastration for primary testicular lymphoma (7 patients had diffuse, large B-cell lymphoma and one patient had Burkitt-like lymphoma). According to the Ann Arbor staging system a limited stage I-IIE was diagnosed in 7 patients and advanced stage was found in one patient. All but one patients were treated with rituximab added to CHOP regimen (6 or 8 cycles in every 21 or 28 days), whereas one patient received radiotherapy only. Central nervous system intrathecal prophylaxis was used in one case and no preventive irradiation of the contralateral testis was used.

With a median follow-up of 50 months complete remission was observed in 7 patients. However, two patients died (one due to progression and one in remission from pulmonary solid tumour). Complete remission rate proved to be 87.5%, disease-free survival was between 13 and 152 months (median 38 months) and overall survival rates were between 17 and 156 months (median 43 months). The 5-year disease-free and overall survival rates were 37.5 %.

The relatively favourable treatment outcome could be mainly explained by the high number of patients with early-stage of the disease, early surgical removal of testicular lymphomas and the use if immunochemotherapy. This therapeutic regimen was effective to prevent localized and distant relapses. Despite omission of regular prophylaxis of the central nervous system, no relapse was detected.