Primary colorectal lymphoma

This study aimed at investigating the incidence, presentation, patient and tumor characteristics, treatment, and outcome of primary colorectal lymphomas (PCL) at a tertiary care center in Lebanon over a 25-year period. The Dawson’s criteria were used for selection of eligible cases. The medical records were reviewed for demographic variables, the presence of risk factors, presenting signs and symptoms, method of diagnosis, histologic type, type of therapy, and condition at last follow-up. Nine cases of PCL were identified (12.7% of gastrointestinal lymphomas and 0.1% of colorectal malignancies). The mean age at presentation was 44.2 years with male predominance noted. Abdominal pain was the most common presentation (77.8%). Colonoscopy was performed for eight patients with non-specific gross tumor characteristics. Three patients had Burkitt’s and six had diffuse large B-Cell lymphomas. The most common site of involvement was the cecum (55.6%) with all cases presenting in stage I_E. Surgery was performed for six patients followed by chemotherapy except for one, and three patients had chemotherapy only. The median survival time was 25 months and the 2-year survival time was approximated at 60%. It is concluded that PCL is a rare malignancy with well-identified disease characteristics yet controversial ideal management plan.