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Ann Thorac Surg 2004;78:1888
© 2004 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Correspondence

Reply

^a Transplantation Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, 13th St, Bldg 149, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA

Winfried Padberg, MD^b

^b Department of General and Thoracic Surgery, Justus-Liebig University of Gießen, Rudolf-Buchheim Str. 7, 35392 Gießen, Germany

ruediger.hoerbelt{at}tbrc.mgh.harvard.edu

To the Editor:

We agree with Dr Koduri that lymphoblastic lymphoma can be diagnosed in one third of patients by bone marrow biopsy, which—if positive—can obviate surgical biopsy of the mediastinal tumor. In our study [1], we focused on the differentiation between nonlymphatic and lymphatic mediastinal tumors. The further distinction between subtypes of malignant lymphoma was beyond the scope of our investigation. In patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma, a leukemic phase that is similar to acute lymphatic leukemia often develops [2], and therefore, the primary diagnostic approach varies from the usual excisional biopsy of the affected lymph node. We agree that bone marrow biopsy should be performed prior to operation in young patients with a mediastinal mass in whom atypical blast cells are seen in the peripheral blood.

References

1. Hoerbelt R, Keunecke L, Grimm H, Schwemmle K, Padberg W. The value of a noninvasive diagnostic approach to mediastinal masses. Ann Thorac Surg. 2003;75:1086–1090[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Foon KA, Fisher RI. Lymphomas. Beutler E, Lichtman MA, Coller BS, Kipps TJ. Williams Hematology. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1995. p. 1081

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hoerbelt, R. Articles by Padberg, W. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Hoerbelt, R. Articles by Padberg, W.