RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical, morphological and inmunophenotypic characteristics and followup of testicular non Hodgkin lymphomas seen in a referral center. METHODS: We reviewed the cases of testicular lymphoma seen from 1987 to 1997. We obtained data of laboratory tests, radiological findings, clinical course, treatment and new immunohistochemical studies (CD45, CD20, CD43, Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein and antibodies UCHL-1). We performed a blind analysis to identify the morphological variables associated to the clinical course. The Fisher exact test was used for statistical significance identification. RESULTS: 53 patients with testicular tumors were seen. Four of them were lymphomas (7.5%) with a mean age of 47 years (range 33-73) and two of the four had AIDS. A comparative analysis showed major local invasion of surgical margins and systemic progression in the AIDS cases. Immunohystochemical testing showed that the neoplasia was formed by B cells negative for Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein. The two patients without AIDS showed no evidence of the disease after 64 and 144 months of followup. The AIDS cases died one and three months after the diagnosis of testicular lymphoma was made. CONCLUSIONS: The four cases of testicular lymphoma were of B cell lineage without immunohystochemical expression for Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein. There was a more aggressive clinical course in the cases associated with AIDS.