The role of surgical intervention in primary colorectal lymphoma: A SEER population-based analysis

BACKGROUND Primary colorectal lymphoma (PCL) is a rare colorectal malignancy. The standard treatment and prognostic factors of PCL remain unexplored. Therefore, a large population-based study should be conducted to provide a detailed review of this disease. METHODS We extracted the data of eligible patients with PCL registered in the SEER database from 1973 to 2011. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 19.0. RESULTS A total of 2050 (61.3%) of the 3342 patients with PCL underwent surgical intervention, and 1292 (38.7%) patients received no surgical treatment. The median overall survival was 95 months, and patients receiving surgery exhibited significantly prolonged survival (adjusted HR =0.69, P <0.001). Young age, early tumor stage, and indolent lymphoma were independent predictors of improved survival. Further survival analyses demonstrated the potential benefit of surgery in patients with early tumor stage, right-sided lesions, or diffuse large B-cell PCL. Conversely, surgical intervention did not improve the survival of patients with advanced-stage, left-sided, or indolent PCL. CONCLUSION PCL is a rare tumor that can be effectively treated. Surgical intervention may play an important role in the treatment of PCL. Early tumor stage, a right-sided lesion, and diffuse large B-cell histological PCL seem to be the clinical characteristics of optimal surgical candidates.