title: Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the central nervous system: phase II study of chemotherapy (BVAM) prior to radiotherapy.
abstract: Ten patients were diagnosed as having primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the central nervous system at University Hospital, Nottingham, between September 1986 and April 1989. None had clinical evidence of HIV-1 infection. All the patients started treatment with chemotherapy (BVAM), designed to cross the blood-brain barrier, followed by radiotherapy. Seven patients completed both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Dose reduction during chemotherapy was necessary in three patients because of neutropenia. In two of the six patients with solitary tumours, complete resection was achieved surgically prior to treatment. Five of the remaining eight patients (63%) had radiological evidence of a complete response with chemotherapy. The other three patients had no response to chemotherapy but one had a complete response after radiotherapy. The two-year cause-specific survival of the 10 patients was 37%. Two of the three patients who had a postoperative performance status of 0 or 1 (ECOG/WHO) are alive and disease-free at 26 and 46 months from diagnosis. The median survival of the seven patients with a performance status of 2-4 was 10 months with two patients alive and disease-free at 19 and 26 months. The two-year cause-specific survival of these seven patients was 22%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, Nottingham General Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bessell
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Punt
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hope
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lowe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002330:Carmustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D013997:Time Factors; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D003561:Cytarabine; D001761:Bleomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D002330:Carmustine; D008727:Methotrexate