title: Non-hodgkin lymphomas presenting as soft tissue masses: a single center experience and meta-analysis of the published series.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lymphomas with involvement of soft tissues as a primary event are very rare. The published studies have a small sample size, most of them being reported as case reports.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this article we describe our experience with soft tissue non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) diagnosed and treated in our institution over a 15-year period. Moreover, we systematically review the available data from the literature in the past 2 decades, considering all the published series and case reports available from 1990 to 2011 using a PubMed access.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the monocentric analysis, 16 consecutive patients treated at our Institution from 1996 to 2011 were considered. In the literature search, we selected 16 case reports (18 patients) and 5 case series (49 patients), including a total of 67 patients. Eighty-three patients were finally considered in the combined analysis. The most common histologic subtype was diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (>50% of cases in both groups). In both analyses we observed an inferior outcome for DLBCL compared with indolent B-cell NHL (5-year progression free survival: 34% vs. 64%, respectively, in the combined analysis; P = .01). Furthermore, the prognosis in the DLBCL group appears to be worse compared with the historical data of DLBCL patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Though indolent soft tissue B-cell NHLs appear to have a good outcome, soft tissue DLBCLs represent an anatomic-clinical entity with aggressive features, and dismal prognosis. Strategies of first-line therapy intensification could be considered. Studies aiming to a better biologic characterization of this peculiar entity are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hematology and Medical Oncology "L. & A. Seràgnoli", University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. ederenzini@gmail.com
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Derenzini
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Casadei
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Argnani
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pileri
authors.forename: Pier Luigi
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Zinzani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome