In this study with prolonged follow up, we compared clinical outcome, including cause of death and incidence of second cancer, for patients with early stage extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL, 49 patients), nodal marginal zone lymphoma (NMZL, nine patients) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL, 42 patients) with emphasis on potential benefit of radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was given to 40 patients with EMZL (nine had surgery only) and all NMZL patients. MCL patients received radiotherapy (17 patients), chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (13 patients) or chemotherapy alone (12 patients). Compared to a matched control population no increased risk of second cancer or cardiovascular disease was observed. Radiotherapy alone was effective in EMZL and NMZL with low-relapse rates (20% and 33%) and a 10-year overall survival of 78% and 56%, respectively. High-relapse rate and inferior OS in MCL underline the need for extended staging with endoscopy and PET/CT and possibly for novel strategies.
Keywords: Marginal zone lymphoma; early stage; mantle cell lymphoma; radiotherapy.