Length of remission and survival in a group of patients with malignant lymphomas

: The survival and the remission length of a group of 122 adult patients with lymphomas have been studied: 45 Hodgkin (HG) and 77 non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHG). The difference between the survival medians of the two groups turned out statistically significant (74.5 for HG cases and 43 for NHG). Non significant survival differences were detected among HG with "favourable" and those with "non-favourable" histology. Determinant for the survival was the obtention of the complete remission both in HG and in NHG. As far as the treatment is concerned in relation to the stage, HG were broken down into three groups: radiotherapy alone, chemo + radiotherapy, chemotherapy only. The highest percentage of complete remissions (RC) was obtained in the group chemo + radiotherapy (100% of the treated) versus 80% on the group with the only radiotherapy and 53.3% of that with the only chemotherapy. The median length of the RC was, however, higher in the patients treated with chemotherapy alone. After relapse a new RC easily obtained with chemotherapeutic treatment in the patients treated with only radiotherapy in comparison with those already submitted to chemotherapy. As far as NHG is concerned, they were broken down according to the main histotype in lymphocytic and histiocytic. The groups, according to the treatment turned out two: radiotherapy plus chemotherapy and chemotherapy alone. The difference between the survival medians turned out highly statistically significant (43 and 36 cases respectively). Also statistically significant, but in favor of th histiocytic cases, the percentage of the patients who maintained the CR (27 cases the lymphocytic versus 60 for the histiocytic) this in agreement with the literature data, according to which, even being the histotypes with the most unfavourable prognosis, the histiocytic, once attained the CR, tend to maintain the same, more longer in time, in comparison with the forms with favourable histology. The chemotherapeutic combinations employed by us are subsequently outlined extensively.