Abstract:Objective To improve the diagnosis and treatment of primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL). Methods The clinical data of 14 cases of PTL treated from 1990 to 2005 were analyzed retrospectively. Results Twelve cases complained of cervical mass，and 2 cases of hoarseness, with symptoms ranging from 2 weeks to 4 years. Total thyroidectomy of affected side and partial thyroidectomy of the other side was performed in 9 cases, bilateral total thyroidectomy was performed in 3 cases, and simple total thyroidectomy of affected side was performed in 2 cases. There were 9 cases of diffuse large Bcell lymphoma, 4 cases of follicular lymphoma, and 1 case of malignant lymphoblastic lymphoma. After operation, 7 cases underwent combined treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, 4 cases with simple radiotherapy, and 3 cases without any therapy after operation. Thirteen cases(92.8%) were followed up, 1 cases of lymphoblastic lymphoma died 10 months after operationa and 2 cases without postoperative therapy died of metastasis at 18 and 31 months after operation, respectively. The other 10 cases had median followup of 43.2 months(6~122 months), and all of them are in good health. Conclusions PTL is difficult to be diagnosed before operation. Surgical resection is an effective treatment for PTL. The prognostic factors of PTL are associated with pathologic type and comprehensive treatment. It is important for PTL cases to have chemotherapy after operation.