OBJECTIVETo analyze the clinical features, prognostic factors, diagnostic methods and treatment outcomes of primary breast lymphoma (PBL).

METHODSThe clinical data of 14 patients diagnosed with PBL between 2000.1 and 2013.6 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSThe 14 patients were diagnosed with PBL, which comprised 0.24% and 0.54% of all breast malignancies and lymphoma, respectively. The median age was 43(20-77) years. All but one was female. The median course before diagnosis was 1(0.17-12) month. There were 9 patients with international prognostic index (IPI) 0 and 5 with IPI 1. The most common histological subtypes were diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with total 11 cases (78.6%), there was 1 case (7.1%) in each of extranodal margin zone lymphoma, peripheral T cell lymphoma(PTCL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), respectively. Patients treated with radical operation versus local mass removing or needle biopsy were 6(42.9%) and 8(57.1%), respectively, there were 2 relapses in each group. Patients treated with or without rituxinmab combined with chemotherapy were 6(42.9%) and 7(50.0%), respectively, there were 3 and 1 relapses in each group, respectively. Three (21.4%) patients received intrathecal injection (IT). There were 3(21.4%) cases of central nervous system (CNS) relapse, who were not received IT. After the median follow-up of 45.2 (10.7-116.1) months, two patients died of disease progression. The median overall survival did not reach and median progression free survival was 73 (11- 116) months.

CONCLUSIONThe most common histological subtype in patients with PBL was DLBCL, the role of rituxinmab in the treatment was not sure, CNS relapse should be monitored closely.