title: [Clinical features, treatment and prognosis of 136 patients with primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the nasopharynx].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical characteristics, international prognostic index and treatment of primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the nasopharynx.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1983 to December 1997, 136 patients with previously untreated NHL of the nasopharynx were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were confirmed pathologically and classified by Working Formulation system. There were 18 patients with high-grade, 77 intermediate, 2 low-grade and 39 unclassifiable lymphoma. According to Ann Arbor classification, 25 patients had stage I, 91 stage II, 12 stage III and 8 stage IV lesions. Primary therapy was radiotherapy alone in 13 patients and radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy in 12 patients with stage I disease. In 88 patients with stage II, radiotherapy alone was given to 31 patients, and a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy to 57 patients. Chemotherapy was primary treatment for advanced stage III/IV diseases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall survival rate (OS), cancer specific survival rate (CSS) and disease-free survival rate (DFS) at 5 and 10 years for all patients were 56.2%, 61.2%, 51.1% and 48.3%, 58.0%, 46.5%, respectively. As for international prognostic index (IPI), the 5-year CSS was 70.9% for 0 risk factor, 44.9% for 1 risk factor, 30.0% for 2 or 3 risk factors, respectively (P = 0.004). For stage I patients, the 5-year CSS was 83.1% for RT alone and 82.2% for combined modality therapy, respectively (P = 0.779). For patients with stage II, the 5-year CSS was 46.0% for radiotherapy alone and 70.9% for combined modality therapy. There was significant difference between them (P = 0.04). Multivariate analysis by Cox regression showed that Ann Arbor stage, B symptom and IPI were independent prognostic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  International prognostic index is an important prognostic factor for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the nasopharynx and the combined modality therapy may be optimal for the stage II patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Institute (Hospital), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-yong
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Ye-xiong
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lu-jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yuan-hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Xin-fan
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Da-zhong
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Tu-nan
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Zi-hao
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011241:Prednisone