title: Variable clinical presentations of nasal and Waldeyer ring natural killer/T-cell lymphoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the clinical characteristics, prognosis, and treatment outcome for patients with nasal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (N-NKTL) and Waldeyer ring NK/T-cell lymphoma (WR-NKTL).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 145 patients with N-NKTL and 95 patients with WR-NKTL were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with N-NKTL, WR-NKTL exhibited distinct differences in clinical features with a propensity for nodal involvement, more advanced stages, low elevated lactate dehydrogenase, intermediate chemosensitivity, and a favorable prognosis. Compared with patients with WR-NKTL, patients with N-NKTL were associated with a lower overall response (54% versus 89%) and higher persistent or progressive disease after initial chemotherapy (46% versus 11%; P = 0.000). The 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 67% and 56% for N-NKTL and 65% and 47% for WR-NKTL, respectively. Patients with stage II WR-NKTL showed favorable prognosis compared with those with stage II N-NKTL. Compared with radiotherapy alone, patients with early-stage WR-NKTL that received radiotherapy and chemotherapy showed a superior progression-free survival and improved overall survival. In contrast, the addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy did not provide any survival benefit for patients with early-stage N-NKTL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  N-NKTL and WR-NKTL represent heterogeneous groups with variable clinical features, responses, prognosis, and treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China. yexiong@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ye-Xiong
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qing-Feng
authors.initials: QF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Shu-Nan
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei-Hu
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yong-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Jiade
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Shu-Lian
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yue-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xin-Fan
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zi-Hao
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Yu