title: Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in Turkey: eighteen years' experience at the Hacettepe University.
abstract: In this retrospective study, 470 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) who had been followed in the Hacettepe University Medical Oncology Department between 1973 and 1990, were evaluated to establish their epidemiologic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics. Out of 470 patients, 302 (62.2%) were male and 168 (37.8%) were female. The ages ranged from 16 to 85, with a median of 44 years. Constitutional symptoms were present in 46.4% of the patients. According to the Working Formulation, low, intermediate, and high-grade lymphomas comprised 33.4%, 54.9%, and 12.7%, respectively. The most common extranodal presentation was gastrointestinal. The chemotherapy regimens most commonly used were CVP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone), BCNOP (bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone, vincristine, prednisone), CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) and CHOP-Bleo (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone, bleomycin). The response rates and the survival figures attained with these regimens were not statistically significantly different (P > 0.05). In the Cox multivariate model, pathologic grade, leukopenia, responsiveness to chemotherapy, bone marrow involvement and age were the important factors influencing the disease-free survival, while responsiveness to chemotherapy, age, presence of constitutional symptoms, pathologic grade, extranodal presentation and stage were the important factors influencing the overall survival. The distribution of NHL according to grade and stage was similar to that in western societies, while constitutional symptoms and lymphomas of the small intestine including immunoproliferative small intestinal disease were more common in Turkey.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Barista
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tekuzman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Firat
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baltali
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kansu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kars
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozisik
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruacan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Uzunalimoğlu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karaağaoğlu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007161:Immunoproliferative Small Intestinal Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008942:Mitoxantrone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012744:Sex Ratio; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001761:Bleomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D008942:Mitoxantrone; D011241:Prednisone