Primary Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma of the Stomach: Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognostic Factors in Iranian Patients

BACKGROUND: Primary Gastric Lymphoma (PGL) is an uncommon malignancy with various histological subtypes and treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential prognostic factors and clinicopathological characteristics of Iranian patients with PGL. METHODS: The clinicopathological characteristics of 60 patients with PGL were retrospectively reviewed from 2001 to 2012. The patients underwent various combinations of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. We evaluated multiple potential prognostic factors and their associations with patient survival rate. RESULTS: According to the results, Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (MALT) were two predominant histological subtypes. The majority of cases were diagnosed with stage I tumor in the distal part of the stomach. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 60% and 70%, respectively. It was revealed that poor World Health Organization (WHO) performance status, presence of B symptoms, and International Prognostic Index (IPI) score≥3 were significantly associated with decreased patient survival. CONCLUSION: Most of the patients with PGL in early stage have a favorable prognosis.