The achievements of the EORTC Lymphoma Group. European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer.
From 1964 onwards, the EORTC Lymphoma Group has conducted seven consecutive randomised phase 3 trials on early stage Hodgkin's lymphoma aiming at increasing efficacy, while decreasing short- and long-term toxicity. Staging laparotomy is definitely abandoned and replaced by identification of prognostic subgroups based on pretreatment clinical characteristics. Event-free and overall survival significantly improved from about 50 and then 70%, in the early years, to over 80 and then 90% more recently. Radiotherapy fields have become more restricted, whereas chemotherapy has become standard. Longitudinal quality-of-life assessment has become an integral part of our studies. In advanced stages, overall outcome has improved as well with 6-year survival rates of over 80%. In aggressive types of NHL, the second generation chemotherapy schedule CHVmP-BV was superior to CHVmP. We could not show any advantage for intensification of upfront treatment with autologous stem cell transplantation.
Raemaekers
J
J
Deptartment of Hematology, University Medical Centre Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. j.raemaekers@hemat.azn.nl
Kluin-Nelemans
H
H
Teodorovic
I
I
Meerwaldt
C
C
Noordijk
E
E
Thomas
J
J
Glabbeke
M van
Mv
Henry-Amar
M
M
Carde
P
P
D000124:Achievement; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; D005060:Europe; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007390:International Agencies; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000628:therapy*; D008495:Medical Oncology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic