[Malignant lymphoma of Waldeyer's ring: is lymphography always necessary?]

The role of lymphography for patients with malignant lymphomas involving Waldeyer's ring was retrospectively reviewed. The materials were 97 patients who were treated at Kyushu University Hospital from January, 1966 to December 1982. Lymphography was performed in 72 patients. Abnormal retroperitoneal nodes were detected only in 13 of them (18%). Six of the 7 patients (86%) with gastrointestinal involvement as well as Waldeyer's ring had positive lymphography, whereas only 6 of the 51 patients (12%) without gastrointestinal involvement had such findings. Although there was a significant difference in survival by cervical and inguinal lymph node status, no such discrepancy was seen between 41 stage II patients staged after lymphography and 16 stage II patients staged clinically. All these results suggest that lymphography is not always essential for patients with malignant lymphomas involving Waldeyer's ring.