Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in bone. Pathologic and radiologic features with clinical correlates

Thirty-seven lymphomas of bone were studied, including 33 diffuse large cell lymphomas, three undifferentiated (small noncleaved cell) lymphomas, and one well-differentiated (small) lymphocytic lymphoma. The large cell lymphomas were subclassified as large cleaved, large noncleaved, multilobated cell, and immunoblastic sarcoma (large cell lymphoma, immunoblastic type). Eleven of 26 large cell lymphoma patients with adequate follow-up were long-term survivors (free of disease for more than 5 years). Nineteen of the 33 large cell lymphomas were localized to one bone. The stage and histologic pattern significantly correlated with long-term survival among large cell lymphomas. Seventy-three percent of patients with localized lymphoma were long-term survivors, in contrast to 9% of those with disseminated disease. Sixty-seven percent of patients with large cleaved and multilobated cell lymphoma were long-term survivors, but only 21% of those with large noncleaved cell and immunoblastic sarcoma were. The tumors had a blastic, lytic, or mixed radiographic appearance and had either sclerotic, lytic, or permeative borders; none of the radiologic findings were diagnostically useful.