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Malignant lymphomas of the thyroid gland. Heiss A, Kober F, Heinz R, Hollinsky C, Hermann M, Roschal A Chirurgische Abteilung, Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Spital, Wien. In the period from 1957-1989 43 malignant lymphomas of the thyroid gland were treated in the surgical department of Kaiser Elisabeth hospital. 42 were classified as non-Hodgkin lymphomas and one as a Hodgkin lymphoma. The sex distribution was 32 women (mean age 70) to 11 men (mean age 72). The patients were divided into two groups according to postoperative management. First group (1957-1978): conventional irradiation. N = 24 patients, mean survival time 5 months (0-37 months). Second group (1979-1989): high voltage irradiation and/or chemotherapy. N = 19 patients, mean survival time 39 months (1-128 months). All patients in the first group died, whilst in the second group only 9 have died to date. Moreover, 9 of the 10 patients who are still alive are in full remission. Over the past 10 years we have achieved a clear improvement in survival time; this is a result of extended radicality of the surgical procedures, haematological staging and an improvement in the chemotherapy and irradiation regimens. |
