[Involvement of the central nervous system in generalized non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (author's transl)]

The value of the Kiel classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) in neuro-oncology is supported by a systematic prospective study of the CNS in 131 autopsies with NHL. In 31 (23.7%) cases the CNS was involved, mainly in lymphoblastomas (11) and immunocytomas (10). Tumour manifestations of the CNS were found in 17 (20%) out of 84 low grade and 13 (34%) high grade malignant NHL. In plasmocytomas of the bone marrow the CNS was rarely affected. As only one fourth of the CNS infiltrations in lymphomas showed naked-eye appearances, a careful histologic examination of the brain, spinal cord, nerve roots and spinal ganglia, respectively, is necessary for evaluation of the CNS involvement in NHL. The cause of the different incidence of CNS manifestation in various types of NHL is obscure. Further investigations including immunologic, clinical and therapeutic studies have to be carried out for solving this problem.