title: Primary breast lymphomas.
abstract: The diagnosis, prognostic factors, and optimal management of primary breast lymphomas (PBL) is difficult. Seven patients recorded at the Geneva Cancer Registry between 1973-1998 were reviewed. Five patient had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, one a follicular lymphoma and one a MALT-lymphoma. All patients had clinical and radiological findings consistent with breast cancer and underwent mastectomy, which is not indicated in PBL. Diagnosis should be established prior to operative interventions, as fine needle aspiration missed the diagnosis for one patient and intra-operative frozen sections for 3 patients in our study. Five-year and 10-year overall survivals were 57% and 15%, respectively. Of the 3 patients who died from PBL, 2 had tumors that were Bcl-2 positive but Bcl-6 negative. All 3 surviving patients have positive Bcl-2 and Bcl-6 immunostaining, which could be important prognostic factors if confirmed by a larger study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospital;
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Julen
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dellacasa
authors.forename: Marie-Françoise
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Pelte
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borish
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouchardy
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Capanna
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vlastos
authors.forename: Jean-Bernard
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Dubuisson
authors.forename: Anne-Thérèse
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Vlastos