[Malignant non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the orbital region. Histological classification and immunohistochemical studies]

We analysed 15 cases of malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the orbital region in a retrospective study of the biopsy material from 1965 to 1981. There were 9 cases of lymphoplasmacytic immunocytomas , 1 case of pleomorphic immunocytoma, 2 cases of centroblastic-centrocytic lymphoma and 1 case of plasmacytoma, lymphoblastoma and pleomorphic immunoblastoma . In the majority of cases the orbital region was the primary site of the lymphoma. In a minor part the lymphomas were the expression of a generalized lymphomatous disease. The 15 patients were 12 men and 3 women from 38 to 82 years of age. The peak of incidence was in the septuagenarians . In some of the cases the neoplastic nature of the lymphoproliferative disorder was proved immunohistochemically by the presence of monoclonal cytoplasmic immunoglobulin. The clinical course of the disease was very different and could not be predicted bioptically. Discussing the results we compared our own findings with those in the literature.