title: Combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy improves the cure rate in primary extranodal lymphomas of the head and neck (PLHN).
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Oncologia Medica, Università di Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pasini
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Cetto
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Todeschini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Marco
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Verlato
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scognamiglio
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Meneghini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ambrosetti
mesh_terms: 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