[Clinical considerations from sixteen cases with mediastinal malignant lymphoma]

Sixteen cases with mediastinal malignant lymphoma were treated in our department and a correlation made between the prognosis and other factors: first symptom, maximum diameter of the tumor, type of operation, pathological subtype, clinical stage. First symptom and compressed or invasive symptom with mediastinal mass were not related to prognosis. The cases with bulky tumor over 10 cm in diameter showed a tendency toward poorer prognosis. Complete or incomplete resection did not have significant effect. The cases of Hodgkin's disease had relatively good prognosis. Classification of clinical stage (Ann Arbor classification) did not show significant correlation with prognosis and may be inadequate for staging of mediastinal malignant lymphoma. Surgical treatment may be adapted for mediastinal Hodgkin's disease and early stages of thymic malignant lymphoma.