Primary gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Finland, 1972-1977. Clinical presentation and results of treatment.

During the period 1972-1977, 66 patients were treated for primary gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in various hospitals in Finland. Most frequently, the disease occurred in middle-aged or old patients and had a male predominance. Clinical symptoms were non-specific. An abdominal mass was felt in 21% of the patients. Roentgenologic findings were mostly non-specific but suggested a malignant tumour. A definitive diagnosis was difficult to confirm by endoscopic examination. Forty-four patients had surgical resection, 30 patients curative resection, and 14 palliative resection, and 16 patients had only explorative laparotomy. Eighty-five per cent of the patients who had curative resection survived 5 years, compared with 15% of those who underwent palliative resection. Curative resection gave the best survival of 5 years. The stage of the disease was a very important prognostic factor: the 5-year survival was 85% for patients with stage-I disease but only 3% for those with stage-IV disease.