Primary spinal epidural manifestation of malignant lymphoma

The clinical, histological and immunomorphological data in 19 cases of primary spinal epidural manifestation of malignant lymphomas collected between 1974 and 1994 are reported. The age of the patients varied between 11 and 87 years with a mean age of 56.3 years. There was a slight male predominance (11 : 8). In most cases, the onset of the clinical symptoms was rapid. The preferential tumour localization was the epidural space related to the thoracal vertebral bone. In each case, decompressive laminectomy was performed. The tumours were histologically and immunomorphologically classified as B-cell lymphomas (14 of 19), T-cell lymphomas (3 of 19) and anaplastic plasmacytoma (1 of 19). Except for one case, post-operative staging did not reveal anything other than epidural manifestation of the malignant lymphoma. The vertebral bone, however, was involved in seven cases. Irradiation alone, or in combination with chemotherapy, was performed as additional therapy. The post-operative survival time was variable.