Extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type of the ocular adnexa: Retrospective single institution review of 95 patients

CONTEXT: There are few reports on the management of extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type (MALT), which are based on the experience of a single institution, as opposed to large multicenter randomized trials. AIM: The aim of this study was to report on the clinical experience of a single institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was undertaken of records of 95 patients with MALT lymphoma of the ocular adnexa. Histologic diagnosis of MALT lymphoma was made according to established criteria, and clinical staging was carried out to determine treatment modalities. All patients were treated by external beam irradiation (30.6–45.0 Gy) after biopsy. Additional chemotherapy was performed in accordance with the clinical stage of the disease. All the patients were treated by the same hemato-oncologist and radio-oncologist. RESULTS: Almost all patients showed complete response, except for four patients who showed partial response. In two of 95 patients, contralateral eye showed recurrence, and they were salvaged by additional radiotherapy. The 3-year overall survival and event-free survival rates were 100 and 97%, respectively, by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Moreover, there were no serious radiation-associated complications. CONCLUSIONS: Radiotherapy alone can be an important treatment modality for the local control and survival in patients with localized MALT lymphoma of ocular adnexa. Systemic chemotherapy should be considered in patients with advanced stage disease.