Respiratory manifestations of malignant lymphomas: report of 5 cases

In this study the authors report 5 cases of malignant lymphomas consisting in a Hodgkin's disease and 4 non Hodgkinian lymphomas. Patients aged from 16 to 55 years were 4 males and 1 female, consulting in Department of respiratory disorders of the University Hospital in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa, from 1986 thru 1992. Detoriation of the general status, cough, dyspnea and cervical adenopathy were remaked in all patients. Thoracic pain and syndrom of right pleurisy were diagnosed in one case of non Hodgkinian malignantlymphoma. X Ray exploration of the chest detected 4 cases of mediastinal adenopathies and 3 pleurisis in non Hodgkinian malignant lymphomas; and reticulonodular opacities of pulmonary basis in the Hodgkin's disease case. The diagnosis has been confirmed by pathologic anatomy studis of the biopsed ganglia. The endemic characteristic of tuberculosis in developing countries make necessary to evoke it in first of any adenopathy. When the clinical feature is atypical, a biopsy of ganglia must be performed to avoid diagnosis delay which could lead to agravate the prognosis of malignant lymphomas.