Gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Seventy-two patients with gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated between 1952 and 1980 are reviewed. The small intestine was involved in 49% of cases and the stomach in 29%. Surgical resection of the tumour was performed whenever feasible. Radiotherapy was used either adjuvantly or for incompletely excised tumours and chemotherapy was more often reserved for advanced, unresected disease. The overall 5 year survival was 36% and the 5 year relapse free survival was 22%. Forty-one (57%) patients relapsed of whom 33 (80%) subsequently died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The histology in each case was reviewed using the British National Lymphoma Investigation criteria and 94% of cases were reclassified as Grade 2 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.