Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system: an unresolved therapeutic problem

Lymphomas of the central nervous system are relatively rare; only about 1 percent of all brain tumors are lymphomas. Thirty-five cases of primary central nervous system lymphoma, all of which were of the non-Hodgkin's type, were reviewed. The median survival time was found to be three years, and the disease-free survival time was 16 months. Among the cases reviewed, there were no statistically significant differences between the patients receiving radiotherapy and those receiving both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The relapse rate was 37.5 percent, and only one relapsing patient survived past eight months. Other reports have suggested that the long-term survival rate for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the central nervous system is roughly 10 percent. Although some researchers have suggested that chemotherapy plays an important role in the management of central nervous system lymphoma, this position is not supported by the cases reviewed here. Perhaps further research with more effective chemotherapeutic protocols may result in more promising survival rates. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)