Does MALT lymphoma of the lung require immediate treatment?
GROUND: Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (MALT lymphoma) of the lung is a relatively rare disease. As little is known about the natural clinical course if left untreated, all patients undergoing a watch-and-wait policy at our institution were investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis identified a total of 11 patients with MALT lymphoma of the lung who did not undergo treatment following initial diagnosis. All patients had undergone extensive staging and were closely observed with restaging every three months. Histological assessment included immunhistochemistry for demonstration of the immunphenotype CD20+/CD5-/ CD10-/cyclinD1-/CD23-. Genetic aberrations were assessed, using RT-PCR for t(11;18) (q21;21) and fluorescence in situ hybridisation for the evaluation of t(14;18)(q32;q21), t(1;14) (p22;q32), trisomies 3 and 18. RESULTS: Five patients had MALT lymphoma restricted to the lung, while the remaining six had additional extrapulmonary sites detected durin
