Primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) of the central nervous system (CNS) is a subtype of primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL). There are very few comprehensive reports on this extremely rare tumor. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the clinical features and prognostic factors for primary ALCL of the CNS. We performed a systematic review of the published literature. Past cases were comprehensively searched using PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Clinical information, such as age, sex, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) status, lesion sites, treatment methods, and survivorship were extracted. Thirty-nine cases with information on ALK status and treatment course were identified. The average observation period was 13 months, and the overall 2-year survival rate was 58%. Univariate analyses showed a statistically significantly better prognosis among patients < 40 years of age (p = 0.039, HR 0.32 (0.11-0.95)) and in relation to ALK positivity (p = 0.010, HR 0.24 (0.08-0.71) and methotrexate treatment (p = 0.003, HR 0.17 (0.05-0.56)). Because of the sparsity of cases, it is necessary to accumulate cases in order to perform more detailed analyses.
Keywords: CD30; anaplastic large cell lymphoma; anaplastic lymphoma kinase; central nervous system; primary central nervous system lymphoma; prognostic factors.