Primary central nervous system lymphoma: clinical experience in a neurological center

Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system is a variety of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that accounts for 4-5% of intracranial tumours and 5% of all lymphomas. It has its origin in the brain, the eyes, the leptomeninges and the spinal cord with no systemic evidence of lymphomatoid activity; the subtype of lymphoma is predominantly of B-type cells. We conducted a descriptive study of the patients diagnosed with primary brain lymphoma who were attended to at third-level centres in Mexico between the years 1980 and 2016. Patients who had been screened for systemic lymphoma were included. The results were analysed by means of simple frequencies, and disease-free and overall survival time was analysed by Kaplan-Meier curves; the differences among curves were analysed by means of log rank. Of a total of 215 patients, there were only 74 cases. By sex, 45% were females and 55% were males. Regarding age, 36.7% were over 60 years old. The most frequent clinical manifestations were motor loss (60%) and cognitive disorders (52%). Most patients received some form of chemotherapy (89%). The only significant factor for radiological response and clinical prognosis was the combined use of radiochemotherapy (p = 0.04493). Lymphoma is a tumorous condition with a high clinicoradiological response to treatment, although the response is not long-lasting. Its early identification and multidisciplinary management are essential for a more favourable prognosis in these patients.