title: Survival benefit from high-dose therapy with autologous blood progenitor-cell transplantation in poor-prognosis non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare standard and intensive treatment strategies for patients with high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of poor prognosis, defined by the international prognostic index.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four patients received standard chemotherapy with 11 weeks of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, bleomycin, etoposide, prednisolone, and methotrexate (VAPEC-B), and 33 received intensive treatment with 7 weeks of VAPEC-B, three cycles of ifosfamide/cytarabine, then high-dose busulfan/cyclophosphamide followed by autologous blood progenitor-cell (BPC) transplantation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve of 33 patients in the intensive group and 26 of 34 patients in the standard group have died. The median follow-up time for the surviving patients is 31 months and 68 months, respectively. At 2 years, the actuarial estimates of event-free survival (EFS) were 61% versus 35% (P = .01) and of overall survival, 64% versus 35% (P = .01). A significant reduction in the event rate (progression or death) was maintained after adjustment for age and the number of risk factors. The estimated risk of experiencing an event was 0.37 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16 to 0.84) in the intensive group compared with the standard group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with poor prognostic features who received high-dose therapy and BPC rescue had a superior EFS. The survival differences observed in this study justify a formal comparison in a randomized study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Christie Hospital, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pettengell
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Radford
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Morgenstern
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Scarffe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Woll
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Deakin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ryder
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crowther
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002066:Busulfan / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007069:Ifosfamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D003561:Cytarabine; D001761:Bleomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D005047:Etoposide; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011239:Prednisolone; D002066:Busulfan; D007069:Ifosfamide; D008727:Methotrexate