Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of Waldeyer's ring

The following data have been achieved in investigation of 40 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma involvement of the Waldeyer's ring (WR): a) Palatinal tonsils and nasopharynx are the parts of WR most frequently involved. b) Involvement of WR warrants a careful X-ray, and/or endoscopic examination of the gastrointestinal tract. c) WR is most frequently involved in patients with diffuse histiocytic and lymphohistiocytic NHL. d) The basic treatment in patients of clinical Stage I and II is local-regional radiotherapy, in those of Stage III and IV, it is combined chemotherapy. Of key importance in the choice of the strategy and tactics of treatment is the determination of histological subgroup. e) Prognosis in patients with NHL probably does not depend on the origin of the disease but rather on basic stratification criteria (clinical stage, histological subgroup, occurrence or absence of systemic symptoms, presence or absence of bulky tumors). The results are significantly influenced by the degree of radicality of treatment. Methods of a "local-regional" treatment appear to be inadequate in the majority of patients with NHL of high and intermediate grade malignancy. Consequently, the involvement of WR does not seem to represent a distinct clinical-pathological entity.