title: Improved treatment results of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children: a report from the Children's Cancer and Leukemia Study Group of Japan.
abstract: From 1985 to 1989, 69 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were treated by members of the Children's Cancer and Leukemia Study Group of Japan with a protocol consisting of vincristine, prednisolone, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX), mercaptopurine and cytarabine; central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis with intrathecal MTX and hydrocortisone (NHL855). The 4-year event-free survival (EFS) was 78% (S.E., 10%) for patients with localized disease (n = 18) and 38% (S.E., 7%) for those with advanced disease (n = 51). Among the patients with advanced disease, those with non-lymphoblastic lymphoma tended to have a better 4-year EFS than those with lymphoblastic lymphoma (52% vs. 25%). Based on these findings, we initiated a new protocol NHL890 in which patients were assigned to two different chemotherapies according to the histology. Non-lymphoblastic subtype was treated almost identically to NHL855 while asparaginase and VP-16 were newly added in the consolidation-maintenance phase in advanced-stage lymphoblastic lymphoma. Sixty-seven patients with advanced disease were assessable. The overall 4-year EFS for advanced disease improved to 69% (S.E., 6%). A significant improvement was gained in the lymphoblastic lymphoma with a 4-year EFS of 56% (S.E., 11%) as compared with 25% (S.E., 9%) in the preceding study (P < 0.05). These findings suggest the importance of histology in the treatment of advanced-stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in childhood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Aichi Medical University, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takaue
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Utsumi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001215:Asparaginase / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D015122:Mercaptopurine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012074:Remission Induction; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D003561:Cytarabine; D014750:Vincristine; D005047:Etoposide; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011239:Prednisolone; D015122:Mercaptopurine; D001215:Asparaginase; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D008727:Methotrexate