Combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy improves the cure rate in primary extranodal lymphomas of the head and neck (PLHN).
BACKGROUND
Since PLHN are rare, prognostic factors and the therapeutic strategy have not yet been clearly assessed.


METHODS
Seventy-one patients with PLHN (44 stage I, 27 stage II; 54 with high-grade histology) received the following treatments: 5 radical surgery, 21 radiotherapy, 43 combined treatment (mainly chemotherapy plus radiotherapy) [CT] and 1 was not treated.


RESULTS
Disease-related survival (DRS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 84% and 69% at 5 years and 70% and 56% at 10 years. CT provided significantly better DRS and DFS than radiotherapy alone (92% and 81% vs 70% and 43% respectively), though the group receiving the CT included most of the patients with high-grade histology (37) and stage II (20). Outcome was not influenced by stage and site of involvement (Waldeyer's ring vs non-Waldeyer's ring). Multivariate analysis showed that favourable prognostic factors were age for DRS, high-grade histology and CT for DFS.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients receiving the CT fared significantly better, though most of them had high-grade histology and stage II.
Pasini
F
F
Cattedra di Oncologia Medica, Università di Verona, Italy.
Cetto
G L
GL
Todeschini
G
G
Di Marco
A
A
Verlato
G
G
Scognamiglio
F
F
Meneghini
V
V
Corato
A
A
Ambrosetti
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis