Bone marrow involvement and the prognosis of low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

AIM To analyze the bone marrow (BM) infiltration in low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (LGNHL) and assess its association with the histopathology type, clinical behavior, and disease prognosis. METHOD BM smears obtained by needle biopsy and stained by standard methods were analyzed in 60 patients with LGNHL using the Working Formulation. RESULTS BM infiltration was observed in 57% of the lymphocytic lymphomas (A), in 48% of lymphoplasmocytic/ plasmocytoid lymphomas (AI), and in 31% of follicular lymphomas (follicular small cleaved cell and follicular mixed B and C). The difference was not significant. The 5-year survival rates for patients with and without bone marrow infiltration were 53% and 56% respectively, and 10-year survival rates were 31% and 45% (p>0.05). CONCLUSION The presence of bone marrow infiltration at diagnosis did not significantly affect the prognosis of LGNHL.