Role of induction chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation in adult lymphoblastic lymphoma: a report on 62 patients from a single center.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the outcome of an unselected large series of patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) treated in a single institution.


METHODS
Sixty-two patients were treated between 1980 and 1992. Induction chemotherapy (CT) to achieve complete response (CR) was: French Multicenter Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) protocols (38), non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) protocols (20). Thirty patients underwent transplant after achieving CR (allogeneic 12; autologous 18).


RESULTS
Forty-six patients (74%) achieved CR and 16 (26%) failed to respond. The patients who received an ALL induction had an 89% CR rate, while the CR rate was 52% in patients who received a NHL-like regimen. With a median follow-up of 93 months (range 36-187), the actuarial overall survival (OS) rate for all patients is 49% at five years and 41% at 10 years, and the actuarial event-free survival (EFS) rate is 45% and 37%. OS and EFS in the grafted population are, respectively, 60% and 56% at five years. Our results also show a trend toward a longer OS in allografted group.


CONCLUSIONS
ALL induction therapy is more effective than the NHL-like regimen for augmenting the CR rate. Autologous or allogeneic transplantation should be considered as consolidation therapy in high-risk group patients.
Bouabdallah
R
R
Department of Hematology, Institut J. Paoli-I. Calmettes, Marseille, France. hematol@marseille.fnclcc.fr
Xerri
L
L
Bardou
V J
VJ
Stoppa
A M
AM
Blaise
D
D
Sainty
D
D
Maraninchi
D
D
Gastaut
J A
JA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012042:Registries; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous