[Caecal lymphosarcoma. Prognostic and therapeutic interest of endoscopic diagnosis (author's transl)]

Primary lymphoreticulosarcomas aremare, scarely 0.3% of all malignant lesions of the digestive tract. Previously, only, slight clinical differences permitted differentiation before operation of this lesion from a common adenocarcinoma. Now the increasing use of colonic endoscopy permits one to determine preoperatively the lymphosarcomatous nature of a colonic tumour. Thus it is possible to carry out an appropriate preoperative assessment with lymphography and sternal marrow examination and also peroperative exploration with liver biopsy and lateral aortic lymph node biopsy. Treatment includes surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, a more and more important place being reserved for the latter. Finally the recent histological classification of K. Lennert permits a more accurate prognosis.