Introduction:

When non-Hodgkin lymphomas infiltrate the central nervous system increases mortality. The diagnosis of this infiltration can be made by the study of cerebrospinal fluid using flow cytometry, with a higher sensitivity than conventional cytology.

Objective:

To estimate the relationship between the cellular immunophenotype of the cerebrospinal fluid and the overall survival of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and neurological symptoms.

Methods:

An analytical and prospective study was conducted in 15 patients with confirmed diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and neurological symptoms, with negative cytology of the cerebrospinal fluid. Patients cared at Oncology Department of the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology, during the years 2017-2018. The immunophenotype was characterized by multiparametric flow cytometry.

Results:

60.0% of the patients was female and 53.4% ​​older than 60 years. There was an overall mortality of 26.7%. 17 immunophenotypes were found, 58.9% of them was normal, 23.4% reactive and 17.7% suspected of malignancy. Overall survival advantage was obtained in patients with cerebrospinal fluid with normal immunophenotype (HR 0.04).

Conclusions:

Flow cytometry could discriminate cells suspected of malignancy, in patients whose cytologies were negative. The presence in the cerebrospinal fluid of atypical cells, pleocytosis and a high lymphocyte-monocyte index were associated with a lower overall survival.

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