Nasal and nasopharyngeal angiocentric T-cell lymphomas

Thirty patients (24 mean and 6 women) with a median age of 44.5 years who had angiocentric T-cell lymphoma were studied. The neoplastic cells in each had a T-cell phenotype. Epstein-Barr virus RNA was detected in the neoplastic cells in 29 of 30 patients. The most common presenting symptom was nasal obstruction followed by purulent rhinorrhea. Patients with early presentation had only a friable nasal or nasopharyngeal mucosa; late clinical signs included septal perforation in 40%. Twenty-one of 30 patients received radiation therapy as initial treatment; 22 of 30 patients achieved a complete remission. Fifteen patients relapsed: 10 with local recurrence and 5 with systemic disease. In long-term follow-up, 10 patients were alive and disease free, 6 patients died of unrelated causes, and 12 patients died of disease.