[Primary non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphomas of the brain. Anatomoclinical and immunopathological study of 21 cases]

Twenty one cases of primary malignant lymphoma of the brain are studied. These tumors very seldom extend from the brain (one case in 21). There were no nodular forms and tumors of high-grade malignancy predominated (Kiel's classification). Immunopathological studies performed in eighteen cases showed immunoglobulin secretions in seven. Unlike other locations of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, prognosis depends on therapy and not on histological type. The outcome was improved by radiotherapy, sometimes combined with chemotherapy. Mean survival time was one month for untreated patients or patients treated only by surgery, and 32 months for patients treated by brain irradiation and chemotherapy.