Radiation therapy in primary orbital lymphoma: a single institution retrospective analysis.
BACKGROUND
Primary orbital lymphoma is a rare disease that accounts for 10% of all orbital tumors. Radiotherapy on the orbital cavity is the treatment of choice for this unusual presentation of localized non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The aim of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness and the toxicity of radiation treatment in patients with primary orbital lymphoma.


METHODS
Forty-seven consecutive patients having primary orbital lymphoma treated in our department between May 1983 and September 2006 were investigated in a retrospective study. Either 60Co gamma rays or 6 MV X rays were used to deliver daily fractions of 1.8 or 2.0 Gy, 5 times/week, with total doses ranging from 34.2 to 50 Gy. Forty-three patients had stage IE, three had stage II and one stage IV disease. Thirty-eight patients had marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, 5 diffuse large B cell lymphoma, 3 mantle cell lymphoma and 1 Burkitt lymphoma. Local control (LC), disease free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and late side effects were evaluated in all patients.


RESULTS
With a median follow up of 45 months, LC was obtained in 100% of patients. The estimated 5- and 7-year DFS rates were 75.8% and 55.3%, and the 5- and 7-year OS rates were 88.7% and 79.9% respectively. Acute toxicity was minimal. Late toxicity such as cataract, keratitis, retinopathy and xerophthalmia occurred respectively in 12 (25.5%), 5 (10.6%), 1 (2.1%), and 9 (19.1%) patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Radiotherapy is an effective and at the same time well tolerated treatment for primary orbital lymphoma.
De Cicco
Luigi
L
Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiation Oncology, University Federico II of Naples, Italy. luigi.decicco@yahoo.it
Cella
Laura
L
Liuzzi
Raffaele
R
Solla
Raffaele
R
Farella
Antonio
A
Punzo
Giorgio
G
Tranfa
Fausto
F
Strianese
Diego
D
Conson
Manuel
M
Bonavolontà
Giulio
G
Salvatore
Marco
M
Pacelli
Roberto
R
D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome