The role of surgery in intracranial PCNSL

This aimed to evaluate the effect of surgery for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in intracranial primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) of all patients diagnosed at a single center. A prospective database at Oslo University Hospital of PCNSL was reviewed over a 12-year period (2003–2014). Seventy-nine patients with intracranial PCNSL were identified. Deep brain involvement was shown in 63 patients. Thirty-two patients underwent craniotomy with resection, while all other patients had a biopsy. Fifty-seven patients were given chemotherapy: 18 were treated with the MSKCC (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) with rituximab, 21 with the MSKCC without rituximab, and 14 within a Nordic prospective phase II protocol. Forty-four patients achieved complete response (CR) and had OS of 46.3 months. Patients who underwent resection had a median OS of 28.6 versus 11.7 months for those who had a biopsy performed. Resection showed an insignificant prolongation of OS. Multivariate analysis confirmed statistical significance of deep brain involvement only (p < 0.005). Neither chemotherapy regimen, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), type of surgery, nor patient age was significant factors for OS or PFS. Resective surgery played no role in significantly improving either OS or PFS and therefore it is not recommended as treatment for PCNSL.