Treatment of gastric marginal zone B‐cell lymphoma of the mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue with rituximab,cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone

There is no standard treatment for patients with gastric marginal zone B‐cell lymphoma of the mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) who are resistant to, or ineligible for, anti‐Helicobacter pylori (anti‐HP) therapy. In this study, we investigated the activity of the rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone (R‐CVP) regimen in patients with gastric MALT lymphoma. Patients were included provided they had untreated gastric MALT lymphoma (except for anti‐HP therapy) and were resistant to, or ineligible for, anti‐HP therapy. Treatment plan consisted of six to eight 21‐day cycles of the R‐CVP chemotherapy regimen. Toxicity, response, relapse and survival were evaluated. Twenty patients (12 women and 8 men) were included in the analyses with median age of 59 years. Thirteen patients (65%) had stage I tumours, and seven patients (35%) had stages II–IV tumours. The overall response rate was 100%, with 19 (95%) complete responses and one (5%) partial response. Regimen toxicity was mild and mainly hematological, and no cases of gastric bleeding or perforation occurred. After a median follow‐up of 56.3 months, three patients had relapsed, and 19 patients remained alive (specific lymphoma survival 100%), of whom 17 had no evidence of disease. In our experience, the R‐CVP regimen is a well‐tolerated and effective treatment for patients with gastric MALT lymphoma who are resistant to, or ineligible for, anti‐HP therapy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Short Intensive Primary Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy in Sporadic Primary CNS Lymphoma (PCL)

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and toxicity of combined modality therapy with short intensive primary chemotherapy in the treatment of primary CNS lymphoma (PCL).

Methods and Materials: Prospective study of 31 nonimmunodeficient patients with PCL treated with initial chemotherapy (13 shortened MACOP-B; and 18 modified MACOP with high dose methotrexate) followed by radiotherapy (whole brain and a boost). Patients were aged 18–72 years (median 51 years). Eight patients had positive CSF cytology of which one had spinal meningeal disease; one patient had vitreous involvement.

Results: The overall complete response (CR) rate after chemotherapy and radiotherapy was 69% (95% Confidence Interval: 49–84%). At a median follow-up of 24 months (4 months to 10 years) median survival was 23 months and 5-year survival 34%. Age, sex, performance status, number of lesions, CSF cytology, and extent of surgery were not of prognostic significance for survival on univariate analysis. Eleven patients developed mucositis (Grade 3+) and 21 hematological toxicity (Grade 3+) with 22 septicemic episodes in 15 patients. Three patients developed dementia, one assumed to be treatment related, and two due to recurrent disease.

Conclusion: The survival results of short intensive primary chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy are similar to the results of chemotherapy in Stage IV aggressive systemic non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, although the treatment was associated with high morbidity. The apparently favorable results when compared to radiotherapy alone may at least in part be due to selection of patients with good prognostic factors. To confirm the benefit of combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy over either of the two modalities alone requires evaluation in large prospective and ideally randomized studies.     

Treatment outcomes of adult Burkitt lymphoma: results with a modified LMB protocol in Brazil and feasibility of outpatient administration

While Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma more prevalent in tropical areas, few studies on BL have been conducted in Latin America. Here, we evaluate the clinical presentation and outcomes of an adapted LMB regimen for adults with sporadic BL. We retrospectively evaluated hospital records from University of São Paulo (USP) between 1999 and 2017. Thirty-six patients were included, the median age was 33.5 years and 69% (25) were male. Most patients presented advanced stage disease (81%), 8% had CNS disease, and the majority belonged to LMB group B (75% (27)). Three patients died during the induction phase, and the remaining patients (33) achieved complete response. There was one relapse over a median follow-up of 6 years. Overall survival estimated at 5 years was 89%. We conclude that an adapted LMB protocol is safe and feasible in Brazil.     

Survival in young patients (less than 40 years) with follicular lymphoma: a population based study by the Scotland and Newcastle Lymphoma Group

We have examined in a population-based observational study the survival of young patients (less than 40 years) with follicular lymphoma (FL) treated conventionally and followed for up to 17 years (minimum 10, median 13 years). Data were derived from the Scotland and Newcastle Lymphoma Group (SNLG) database from 1986. Histology of all available cases was reviewed to ensure that patients met the modern criteria for diagnosis of FL. Of 55 patients identified from the database, 46 were confirmed to have follicular lymphoma. There were 25 males and 21 females, median age 34 years (range 16 - 39). Thirty-four patients presented with advanced stage disease (Stages III and IV). The majority of patients received initial treatment with chemotherapy, though 7 had surgery (biopsy or splenectomy) alone and 7 radiotherapy alone. All 12 patients with early stage disease showed a complete response (CR) with initial therapy; 6 relapsed and 2 have died (1 of transformation to high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). Overall survival of patients presenting with stage IIIA disease was 68% at 10 years, and 69% for patients in stages IIIB and IV. The SNLG prognostic index for low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was predictive for overall survival. The 71% overall survival in this patient cohort at 10 years provides a baseline for comparison with the results of a more aggressive approach to treatment.     

Treatment of extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) with mitoxantrone, chlorambucil and prednisone (MCP).

BACKGROUND: Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a relatively common type of lymphoma arising in various tissues throughout the human body. Currently, there is no standard chemotherapy for advanced stage MALT lymphoma. This has prompted us to retrospectively analyse our experience with the MCP regimen (mitoxantrone, chlorambucil and prednisone) in patients with MALT lymphoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with histologically verified MALT lymphoma undergoing chemotherapy with MCP were evaluated retrospectively. The MCP regimen consists of mitoxantrone 8 mg/m(2) intravenously on days 1 and 2, chlorambucil 3 x 3 mg/m(2) per os (p.o.) on days 1-5 and prednisone 25 mg/m(2) p.o. on days 1-5. Information analysed included localisation of the lymphoma, clinical stage, pretreatment, number of chemotherapy cycles administered, toxicity, response to treatment, follow-up time, relapse and survival. RESULTS: A total of 15 patients (six females and nine males aged between 34 and 88 years) with histologically ascertained MALT lymphoma undergoing treatment with the MCP regimen were identified from our records. Ten patients had extragastric lymphoma, while five patients suffered from gastric MALT lymphoma. All patients were chemotherapy-na?ve, while two had been locally irradiated before application of MCP for recurrent disease. A total of 74 cycles was administered to our patients, with a median number of five cycles per patient. Eight (53%) patients achieved complete remission, six (40%) patients partial response and only one (7%) patient had progressive disease. Subjective tolerance was excellent, and toxicities were mainly haematological, including granulocytopenia World Health Organisation grade 3 and 4 in three patients each. In two patients, this was accompanied by single episodes of uncomplicated herpes simplex infection. At the time of analysis, all patients are still alive. No relapses have occurred after a median follow-up time of 16 (range 12-29) months. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that MCP is an effective and well-tolerated regimen for treatment of patients with MALT lymphoma irrespective of localisation. Judging from our data, MCP also appears to be a feasible regimen in elderly patients.     

Nasal-type NK/T cell lymphoma: clinical features and treatment outcome

Nasal-type NK/T cell lymphoma is an increasingly recognised disease entity of aggressive clinical behaviour. The objective of this study was to investigate clinical features and treatment outcomes in patients with nasal-type NK/T cell lymphoma. From January 1991 to December 2003, 26 patients diagnosed as nasal-type NK/T cell lymphoma were included in the analysis. One half of patients presented with poor performance status (ECOG > or =2); 46% of patients were categorised as high intermediate or high-risk group according to IPI; and 46% of patients were diagnosed at advanced stage. The median survival for 26 patients with nasal-type NK/T cell lymphoma was 7.4 months (95% CI, 0.1, 16.9). The treatment outcome of primary anthracycline-based chemotherapy was poor: 60% CR rate in localised disease and 0% CR rate in advanced disease. After a median follow-up of 24.4 months (range 3.1-99.0) in patients with localised disease who had achieved a CR (range 29.6-165.7), three patients (50.0%) developed disease recurrence at 6.1, 21.8, and 52.1 months, respectively, and all patients presented with locoregional failure. The predictive factors for poor survival were of age greater than 60, advanced stage and poor performance in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, Nasal-type NK/T cell lymphomas showed a poor response to the conventional anthracycline-based chemotherapy, and thus an investigation for an innovative therapy is urgently needed to improve survival in these patients.     

Management of gastric lymphoma with chemotherapy alone

Purpose. The optimal therapy for gastric lymphoma except MALToma has not yet been established. This study was undertaken to investigate whether gastric lymphoma can be managed effectively and safely with chemotherapy alone.

Patients and methods. A total of 58 patients (median age 56 years) with newly diagnosed gastric lymphoma between 1989 - 2001 at Seoul National University Hospital and who were initially managed with chemotherapy alone were evaluated. MALToma was excluded from the pathologic review.

Results. All patients received initially anthracycline-containing chemotherapy. ECOG performance scale 0 - 1 was 88% and B symptoms were present in 41.4%. Diffuse large B cell type was the most common (74.1%). Stage IE, II₁E accounted for 51.7% and II₂E, IIIE, IV for 48.3%. The international prognostic index (IPI) of risk was low in 39.7%, low-intermediate in 22.4%, high-intermediate in 15.5% and high in 22.4%. The complete response rate after first-line chemotherapy was 71.4% and the partial response rate was 12.2%. (overall response rate: 83.6%). Among patients who did not reach the complete response, a further complete response was achieved by second-line chemotherapy including etoposide-based regimen. Ultimately, the maximum complete response rate by chemotherapy was 83.7% (92% in stage IE, II₁E, 75% in stage II₂E, IIIE, IV). Median overall survival was 47.4 months (84.7 months in stage IE, II₁E, 32.5 months in stage II₂E, IIIE, IV) and the 5-year survival rate was 46%. Bleeding as a complication occurred in 3 of 58 patients (5.6%) and these cases were controlled by embolization or conservative management. No perforation episode occurred and surgical intervention due to complication was not necessary. Organ preservation was possible in 57 of 58 patients (98%). The one gastrectomy was performed due to a partial clinical response to chemotherapy but the specimen showed pathologic CR. Multivariate analysis revealed that only IPI had a significant influence on survival.

Conclusions. Gastric lymphoma except MALToma can be managed effectively and safely with chemotherapy alone.     

Chemotherapy for management of localised high-grade gastric B-cell lymphoma: how much is necessary?

BACKGROUND: Recent data suggest that chemotherapy with the cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) regimen is a highly effective treatment for localised primary gastric lymphoma of diffuse large B-cell histology (DLBCL). We have reported that the large majority of patients achieve complete remission (CR) following three cycles of treatment, and now provide an updated series with special emphasis on patients receiving only short-term chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients with a histologically verified diagnosis of gastric DLBCL in stages EI and EII(1) undergoing chemotherapy with the CHOP regimen were evaluated. Data analysed included clinical stage, histology [presence of an additional mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) component], evidence of Helicobacter pylori infection, H. pylori eradication, time to CR, survival and regular restaging (i.e. after three and six cycles, respectively). RESULTS: A total of 37 patients with DLBCL of the stomach with localised disease were identified, five of whom also had a MALT component. Twenty-two patients presented with stage EI and 15 with stage EII(1) disease. All patients were given chemotherapy as sole management of their lymphoma; 36 patients received CHOP, while one patient was given CHOP along with rituximab. Thirty-two (86%) achieved a CR after a maximum of three cycles, while only four patients had to be given six cycles for CR. In total, nine of 37 patients (24%) discontinued therapy earlier than scheduled: one patient received one cycle, two received two, six received three and one patient received four cycles. Two of these patients stopped treatment due to toxicity, i.e. protracted thrombocytopenia or chemotherapy extravasation. One additional patient died after one cycle of treatment; autopsy disclosed no signs of remaining lymphoma. Three patients have died after a median follow-up of 39 months (including the one patient who discontinued therapy after one cycle of treatment), while the remaining 34 patients are alive without evidence of disease. Twenty-four out of 37 patients (65%) had also undergone H. pylori eradication (including six of nine patients receiving only short-term treatment). CONCLUSIONS: DLBCL of the stomach appears to be a highly chemosensitive disease. Our data question the need for full-term CHOP treatment in patients achieving CR upon first follow-up. However, recent data suggest that additional H. pylori eradication might have contributed to the excellent results achieved in our series.     

74例淋巴母细胞淋巴瘤的临床特点及预后分析

目的 分析淋巴母细胞淋巴瘤（lymphoblastic lymphoma, LBL）的临床特点,比较B淋巴母细胞淋巴瘤（B lymphoblasts lymphoma, B-LBL）与T淋巴母细胞淋巴瘤（T lymphoblasts lymphoma, T-LBL）的临床及预后特点及不同化疗方案对LBL的预后影响。方法 选择2007—2014年天津医科大学肿瘤医院收治的74例经免疫组织化学确诊为LBL的患者。采用描述统计方法分析LBL的疾病谱特征。结果 74例LBL患者的中位年龄为19.5岁,其中45例为男性,60例为晚期起病（Ann-Arbor分期Ⅲ~Ⅳ期）,42例存在B症状,32例发生骨髓受累。治疗总有效率为70.2%,完全缓解率为48.6%,3年和5年总生存率（overall survival, OS）分别为38.0%和26.6%,3年和5年无进展生存率（progression-free survival, PFS）分别为34.8%和23.2%。其中B-LBL患者17例,T-LBL患者57例。B-LBL较T-LBL更倾向发生于儿童,起病时多伴有贫血,二者生存意义比较差异无统计学意义。单因素分析显示年龄是否小于18岁、有无贫血、β2微球蛋白水平、诱导治疗方案、近期疗效为预后相关因素。结论 淋巴母细胞淋巴瘤是一种高度侵袭性的恶性非霍奇金淋巴瘤,生存期短,多发生于青少年,起病时多为晚期,易发生骨髓转移。采用ALL类化疗方案的患者预后可能优于CHOP样方案。     

A pilot phase II study of ofatumumab monotherapy for extranodal marginal zone B‐cell lymphoma of the mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma

These are the final results of the Ofatumumab in MALT lymphoma study (O‐MA 1), a pilot phase II trial evaluating the capacity and safety of ofatumumab to induce objective responses in patients with Helicobacter pylori eradication refractory or extragastric MALT lymphoma. Ofatumumab was given at 4 weekly doses (1000 mg) followed by 4 doses at 2‐month intervals starting at week 8. According to protocol, a total of 16 patients were recruited (median age 69 years; range 38‐85). Thirty one percent (5/16) of patients had primary gastric MALT lymphoma while the remaining 69% (11/16) presented with extragastric manifestations. Seventy‐five percent (12/16) had localized lymphoma and 4 patients disseminated disease. The overall response rate to treatment with ofatumumab was 81% (13/16), with the median time to best response being 5.5 months. In detail, 50% (8/16) achieved complete remission; 31% (5/16), partial remission; and 19% (3/16), disease stabilization as best response. However, 1 patient with gastric lymphoma and complete remission at second restaging had a relapse at final assessment but ongoing complete remission during further follow‐up. Tolerability was excellent accept low‐grade infusion reactions occurring in 86% (14/16). At a median follow‐up time of 25 months only 1 patient has relapsed suggesting durable responses in the majority of patients. This pilot trial shows clearly that ofatumumab is active and safe for the treatment of MALT lymphoma.     

Gastric lymphomas: chemotherapy as a primary treatment.

Twenty-one of 65 patients with gastric lymphoma have been treated with combination chemotherapy; 17 patients had chemotherapy as primary treatment, and 4 had it for residual disease after incomplete surgical resection. Three of these patients were in stage III and 18 were in stage IV of the disease, according to the TNM Staging Classification. CHOP-Bleo or CHOP combination was given to 17 patients, and the COPP-Bleo regimen to three; the last one was treated with COP. Sixteen of the 18 stage IV patients entered into complete remission after 6 to 10 courses of CHOP or COPP-Bleo; there was one partial response and one failure. Six complete responders had a surgical restaging performed and none of them had gross evidence of residual disease; all of them had partial gastrectomy and in five cases there was no microscopical evidence of disease; in one of the resected stomachs, a focus of residual disease was discovered involving the submucosa but without compromise of the serosa. Fourteen (77.7%) of these patients are alive with no evidence of disease 1-10 (X = 3.8 years); one patient died with recurrent disease at 30 months; another patient died of other causes after 3 years; one patient is alive with disease at 18+ months. All the remaining 16 stage IV patients who were not given chemotherapy have died, median survival time being 5 months.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effective treatment of small-noncleaved-cell lymphoma with high-intensity, brief-duration chemotherapy.

Small-noncleaved-cell (SNC) lymphoma is a high-grade, biologically aggressive neoplasm notable for poor response to therapy, high relapse rate, and less than a 20% long-term survival. We treated 20 patients with SNC lymphoma with a novel chemotherapeutic regimen using intensive doses of chemotherapy at frequent intervals in the inpatient setting. All patients were previously untreated. Sixteen patients (80%) had stage IV disease. Most patients (95%) had at least one other characteristic associated with poor prognosis (bulky [greater than 10 cm] disease, multiple extranodal sites, poor performance status), and 85% had two or more characteristics associated with poor prognosis. Seventeen patients (85%) achieved a complete response (CR) to therapy, including all three patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated disease. There have been three relapses, all occurring less than 18 months after treatment, and two of three relapses occurred in patients who were unable to complete therapy. At a median follow-up of 29 months, 13 patients (65%) remain disease-free; the calculated 5-year actuarial disease-free survival is 60%. Toxicity, chiefly myelosuppression, was severe but manageable. There were two treatment-related deaths, both in elderly patients with poor performance status and advanced-stage disease. These data suggest that such a dose-intensive approach improves the response and survival of patients with SNC lymphoma.     

Long-term persistence of molecular disease after histological remission in low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma treated with H. pylori eradication. Lack of association with translocation t(11;18): a 10-year updated follow-up of a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Localized low-grade gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma can regress after Helicobacter pylori eradication, but IgV(H) gene monoclonality may persist. We studied the long-term histological and molecular follow-up of 24 patients and the possible association of t(11;18) with the persistent monoclonality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1994, 24 untreated patients with stage I low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma associated with H. pylori were prospectively studied. They all received eradication treatment and were sequentially followed-up with endoscopies for histological and molecular studies. Rearrangement of the IgV(H) gene was studied by PCR analysis. MALT1 locus alterations were studied by FISH. RESULTS: Twenty-two of the 24 patients (91%) achieved disappearance of the lymphoma. Eighteen (82%) of the 22 histologically cured patients and 16 of the 19 (84%) with long follow-up had monoclonality. Three patterns of development of IgV(H) gene rearrangements were observed: four patients (21%) had polyclonal rearrangements; eight (58%) had maintained/intermittent monoclonality and four (21%) had occasional monoclonality, mostly after H. pylori reinfection. Only one patient (6%) with persistent monoclonality relapsed. The remaining 18 patients maintained the remission, despite the persistent monoclonality in 15, for a median of 66 months (range 20-113). t(11;18) was not found in any of the patients with persistent monoclonality. Time and the number of endoscopies performed were not related with the occurrence of monoclonality. CONCLUSIONS: In stage I low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma eradication of H. pylori achieves prolonged histological remission in 90% of patients, but molecular remission is not accomplished in most cases. Molecular disease persists for years, but is not associated with t(11;18).     

Gastrointestinal Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

The records of 77 patients with gastrointestinal Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (GI-NHL) diagnosed from 1972 to 1988 were reviewed. There were 47 male and 30 female patients, median age 56 years (range 20-82 years). Twenty-four patients had stage I disease at presentation, 25 stage II, 8 stage III and 20 stage IV. The primary site was stomach for 32 patients, small bowel for 30, colon for 10, and 5 patients had multiple areas of involvement. Six patients had low grade histology, 59 intermediate grade and 12 high grade histology. Forty-two stage I and II patients underwent laparotomy; 30 had complete surgical resection, and 42 had chemotherapy. Only 21 stage III and IV patients underwent laparotomy; 15 had bowel resection and 24 had chemotherapy. Forty-one patients had evaluable disease prior to chemotherapy. Fifty-six percent achieved complete remission and 32% partial remission. At a median follow up of 46 months the median survival is 31 months, and predicted 5 and 10 year survivals are 61% and 42% respectively. Survival correlated most strongly with stage of disease at presentation (p = 0.003). Projected 10 year survival for stage I is 84%, stage II 52%, stage III 38% and no stage IV patients are alive at 10 years. Survival was significantly longer for stage I and II patients who underwent complete surgical resection (p = 0.003), but surgery did not alter survival for stage III or IV patients. Sex, the presence of B symptoms, histologic subtype or site of primary GI-NHL did not demonstrate significant correlation with prognosis.     

Long-term update of a phase II study of rituximab in combination with CHOP chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated, aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

The present study aimed to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of chimeric anti-CD 20 antibody rituxan (rituximab, Biogen IDEC, San Diego, CA, USA; Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA) in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy in previously untreated patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Thirty-three patients with previously untreated aggressive B-cell NHL received six infusions of rituximab (375 mg/m² per dose) on day 1 of each cycle of CHOP chemotherapy, given on day 3 of each cycle of therapy. Currently, the patients now have a median follow-up of 63 months (range 34 - 82 months). The overall response (OR) rate was 94% and the complete response (CR) rate was 61% at the end of therapy. Of the 33 patients, 2 patients experienced disease progression and subsequently died of their disease, 2 patients experienced disease progression but were alive at last follow-up following additional therapy, and 2 patients died without experiencing disease progression: one due to a cerebral vascular accident at 9 months after therapy and a second patient due to small cell lung carcinoma at 55 months. The 5-year survival rate was 88% (95% confidence interval (CI) 72 - 97) and the 5-year progression-free survival was 82% (95% CI 64 - 93). There were no long-term adverse events noted directly related to the rituximab. The long-term follow-up of patients in this phase II trial of rituximab with CHOP chemotherapy for previously untreated aggressive NHL demonstrates a high response rate, which remains very durable with high 5-year overall and progression-free survivals.     

Prognostic factors for primary gastrointestinal lymphoma

The gastrointestinal tract is a common primary extranodal site for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There is however no uniform consensus on its pathological classification, clinical staging system and management. This paper reports the experience in the management of 425 Chinese patients with primary gastrointestinal lymphoma in Hong Kong from January 1975 to June 1993. There were 230 (54 per cent) males and 195 (46 per cent) females. Their median age was 53 years. The primary sites were: the esophagus in three (1 per cent), stomach in 238 (56 per cent), small intestine in 131 (31 per cent) and large intestine in 53 (12 per cent). According to the Working Formulation, there were 20 (4.7 per cent) small lymphocytic, 10 (2.4 per cent) follicular small cleaved cell, 15 (3.5 per cent) follicular mixed, five (1.2 per cent) follicular large cell, 40 (9.4 per cent) diffuse small cleaved cell, 50 (12 per cent) diffuse mixed, 181 (43 per cent) diffuse large cell, 30 (7.1 per cent) immunoblastic, five (1.2 per cent) lymphoblastic, 10 (2.4 per cent) diffuse small non-cleaved cell and 50 (14 per cent) unclassifiable lymphoma. Immunophenotyping was performed in 199 (47 per cent) patients: 90 per cent B-cell, 7 per cent T-cell and 3 per cent uncertain. According to a Manchester system, 81 (19 per cent) patients had stage I disease, 44 (10 per cent) stage II, 85 (20 per cent) stage III and 215 (51 per cent) stage IV. B symptoms were present in 275 (65 per cent) patients and bulky disease in 104 (25 per cent). Surgery followed by chemotherapy was the mainstaly of treatment. Of the 408 patients treated, 63 per cent had a complete remission with relapse rate of 42 per cent. For those with complete remission, 47 per cent were free from disease at 5 years. The overall median survival of all patients was 45 per cent at 5 years. Multivariate analysis revealed that significant independent prognostic factors predicting better survival were young age of <60 years, low grade histology, stage I and II disease and absence of bulky tumour. For gastric lymphoma, aggressive surgery did not significantly improve their outcome. Chemotherapy appears to play an important role in the management of gastrointestinal lymphoma. Better classification of the primary gastrointestinal lymphoma and more refined stratification of the patients according to the prognostic variables my allow individualization of treatment. Prospective randomized studies are essential to define the relative roles of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.     

Low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: a retrospective analysis of 97 patients by the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group (HeCOG).

BACKGROUND: The aim was to examine characteristics and treatment results of patients with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Epidemiological and clinical features of 97 patients with MALT lymphoma from the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group registry were analysed retrospectively for their prognostic significance in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Comparisons were made between patients with gastric and nongastric sites of primary lymphoma and between different therapeutic modalities. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients presented with gastric and 32 with nongastric lymphomas. The most frequent locations of nongastric lymphomas were the bowel, lung and parotid. Gastric lymphomas occurred more frequently in males and younger patients compared with nongastric lymphomas. Seventy-four per cent of patients had early (Ann Arbor stages I-II) and 26% had advanced (stages III-IV) disease. The median PFS for the entire population was 44 months. At 5 years, 47% of patients were progression free and the OS rate was 80%. The most reliable prognostic factor for PFS and OS was the Ann Arbor stage; 5-year PFS was 67% versus 13% and 5-year OS 91% versus 51% for patients with early versus advanced disease, respectively (P < 0.001). Of the patients treated with chemotherapy only, 87% achieved an objective response and 71% complete response. Surgery did not offer survival benefit compared with chemotherapy in localised gastric lymphoma. CONCLUSION: MALT lymphomas represent a distinct disease entity with widespread extranodal origin, indolent clinical course and high chemosensitivity. Ann Arbor stage was the most reliable prognostic and predictive factor.     

Adriamycin-based combination chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced malignant lymphoma. A progress report

Forty-six previously untreated patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease (3 cases) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (Intermediate grade of the Working Formulation) were treated with Adriamycin-based combination chemotherapy at Saitama Cancer Center between January 1977 and December 1982. The median age was 55 years (range, 18-74 years), with 10 patients (22%) 66 years of age or older. The overall complete response rate was 23 of 46 or 50%. The complete response rate of stage III (62.5%) was superior to that (36.4%) of stage IV, but there was no statistical difference between stage III and IV. The complete response in patients with extranodal lymphoma including Waldeyer's ring primary was 9 of 16 (56.2%), while 11 of 27 patients (40.7%) with nodal lymphoma had complete responses. The median survival for all patients was 26 months. The survival curve of complete responders became flat at 41 months and was well sustained with an actuarial survival of 79%. The survival at 5 years was 60% in patients who had stage III and 26% in patients who had stage IV (p greater than 0.05). Congestive heart failure resulting in death occurred in one case given 315mg /m2 of adriamycin and then 90 mg/m2 of mitoxantrone.     

Primary gastrointestinal lymphomas in Turkey: a retrospective analysis of clinical features and results of treatment.

Thirty-three patients with primary gastrointestinal lymphoma (GIL) followed at Ankara University Medical School have been evaluated. The most frequent locations of the disease are the small intestine (48.4%) and the stomach (39.3%). The intermediate and high grade lymphomas constitute 84.8% of the cases. The mean age of the patients with small intestinal lymphoma is 28.7 years and 47.1 years for those with gastric lymphoma. The patients treated with surgery and chemotherapy (S+CT) have a longer survival than those treated with chemotherapy (CT) alone. In conclusion: 1) Small intestinal lymphoma occurs more frequently than gastric lymphoma in our study. 2) The median age of the Turkish patients with primary GIL is approximately 10 years less than those in the Western countries. 3) The therapeutic results of S+CT are superior to those of CT in the early stages of the disease.