A retrospective analysis of 59 patients with diffuse histiocytic and diffuse poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma was performed to determine the incidence and characteristic features of patients developing spinal cord compression. Spinal cord compression occurred in 6 of 59 (10.2%) patients. All were females despite a 1:1 male: female ratio in the entire group. The mean age of females with spinal cord compression was significantly lower than the mean age of females with lymphoma without this complication. These findings suggest that young females with diffuse histiocytic or diffuse poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma represent a subgroup at high risk for spinal cord compression.