title: Primary breast lymphoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Retrospective evaluation of the clinical behavior, treatment and prognosis in five cases of primary breast lymphoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1999 to 2003, five patients with primary breast lymphoma were diagnosed in our department.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) was diagnosed in five patients, whose median age was 63.4 (41-79) years. In four out of five patients, a diagnosis of lymphoma was made after the evaluation of a palpable breast mass measuring 1.5 to 6 cm. All of them were classified as non-Hodgkin's B cell lymphomas and three of five cases were diffuse large cell lymphomas. All patients were submitted to chemotherapy; in only one patient was surgery performed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A relatively high rate of PBL was observed in our department compared with other oncology centers. Beyond its scarce appearance, PBL is very difficult to distinguish from primary breast carcinoma. Histology remains the major diagnostic tool.
authors.affiliation: Gynecology Department, Coimbra University Hospital Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Areia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies