title: Clinicopathologic characteristics and therapeutic outcomes of primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas: 10 years of experience from a single center in eastern Anatolia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this retrospective study was to report the clinicopathological data and the treatment outcomes in patients with primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a retrospective analysis of 41 patients (22 females, 18 males, median age 58 and range 18-90 years) who presented to our department with histopathological diagnosis of primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma between 1995 and 2004.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The stomach was the most common extranodal site and was seen in 25 of 41 (61%) patients. At presentation 28 (68.3%) patients had gastrointestinal symptoms while 27 (65.9%) had B symptoms. The range of follow-up was 2-84 months with a median of 9 months. The overall survival rate was 3 years for 25 (61.2%) patients. The 3-year overall survival rate was better in patients with early-stage disease (stages I and II(1)) who were treated with surgery plus chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy than in those treated with chemotherapy alone (91.6 vs. 50%, p < 0.05). The disease had a significant impact on both the progression-free survival and overall survival rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data showed that surgical resection prior to postoperative chemotherapy was a better option for patients with early-stage disease with better patient survival.
authors: Department of Hematology,Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey. erkurtali@hotmail.com
authors: Mehmet Ali
authors: MA
authors: Erkurt
authors: Ismet
authors: I
authors: Aydogdu
authors: Irfan
authors: I
authors: Kuku
authors: Emin
authors: E
authors: Kaya
authors: Yalcin
authors: Y
authors: Basaran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D055815:Young Adult