Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of Waldeyer's ring

The authors retrospectively analyzed 103 patients to investigate the value of examination of Waldeyer's ring with biopsies as a staging procedure in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Twenty-three patients had clinical involvement of Waldeyer's ring. In 55 of 80 remaining patients, this staging procedure was performed but positive biopsy specimens were found only in patients with advanced disease. No correlation was found between positive biopsy specimens and the histologic subtype. No positive biopsy specimens of Waldeyer's ring were obtained in patients with cervical lymphadenopathy without clinical involvement of the nasopharynx and in patients with localized lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract. Blind biopsies of Waldeyer's ring as a staging procedure proved to be of no value in the patients. The results of therapy in 23 patients with involvement of Waldeyer's ring were good. Unfavorable histologic subtypes (intermediate or high-grade malignancy) were predominant (91%). Eighteen of 22 patients (82%) achieved complete remission, with a relapse-free survival rate at 60 months of 95%. For the whole group of patients, the actuarial survival rate at 72 months was 71%.