title: Childhood NHL in Switzerland: incidence and survival of 120 study and 42 non-study patients.
abstract: Based on the Swiss Pediatric Oncology Group (SPOG) cancer registry data during 1981-1991, a high average incidence of 8 new NHL per million children younger than 15 years per year was found. Of 162 children with NHL registered in 1976-1991, 120 were study patients, i.e., officially registered and treated according to SPOG or Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) protocols, while 42 were non-study patients, i.e., patients not officially enrolled on protocols. Overall, 91 of 120 (76%) study patients remained alive. Seventy-nine study patients were treated according to older SPOG protocols, and 53 (67%) of these survived, while 38 of 41 (93%) study patients treated according to newer POG protocols remained alive (P = 0.0068). Only 22 (52%) of the 42 non-study patients survived (P = 0.0001). There was no improvement if the survival of non-study patients before and since 1986 was compared. Population-based treatment results in Switzerland were similar to those in the United Kingdom. They provided an important base for the development of future treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Pediatric Oncology Group (SPOG), Universitäts-Kinderklinik, Inselspital, Bern.
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dingeldein-Bettler
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Berchthold
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lüthy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirt
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Plüss
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wyss
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Signer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Imbach
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012042:Registries; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology