title: Adjuvant low dose radiation in childhood T cell leukaemia/lymphoma (report from the United Kingdom Childrens' Cancer Study Group--UKCCSG).
abstract: From November 1977 to July 1983, 82 children with T leukaemia/lymphoma entered a randomised trial of combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Twenty-five were designated T lymphoma and 57 T leukaemia, 28 having greater than 100 x 10(9)1(-1) blasts in peripheral blood at diagnosis. Twenty-seven patients with mediastinal primaries who were treated on the companion non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) trial were comparable in all respects to the T lymphoma patients and the results of treatment were therefore combined and analysed together. Overall 4-year survival (48-53%) and failure-free survival (FFS) (37-40%) were similar in all groups except the 28 with T leukaemia and WCC greater than 100 X 10(9)1(-1) (20% and 13%). There was a significant advantage in FFS for patients randomised to receive low dose mediastinal radiation, and this was most marked in patients with T lymphoma (66% vs 18%, P = 0.006).
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D013601:T-Lymphocytes