title: Alterations in the primary diagnosis of lymphomas pretreated with corticosteroid agents.
abstract: Little is known of the role of preliminary corticosteroids in clinical and morphological modifications and in difficulties in reaching a diagnosis in patients with lymphoma. We identified 31 patients who were given steroids before biopsy for primary diagnosis. We looked for the reason for steroid pretreatment, its dose, and duration. We evaluated the difficulty in reaching the primary diagnosis and whether a secondary diagnosis was made. The patients' slides were reviewed to identify secondary histological changes. Our findings suggest a variable effect of prior glucocorticoids on the clinical and histopathological alterations developing in malignant lymphomas, as well as on the complexity of the process of reaching a diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology,Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kan
authors.forename: Itai
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benharroch
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000744:Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones