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This retrospective analysis compared standard regimen of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) with the dose-dense ABVD regimen (ABVD-21) in terms of efficacy and toxicity. Patients who had early-stage unfavorable or advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) according to German Hodgkin Study Group criteria from March 1999 to February 2011 were analyzed for treatment response, long-term survival and hematological toxicity. There were 85 patients in the ABVD-21 group and 118 patients in the ABVD group respectively. The complete remission rates after completion of treatment were 92.9% and 90.7% for ABVD-21 and ABVD, respectively. During a median follow-up period of 62 months, no significant difference was found in projected 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates (84.7% and 94.1% respectively for ABVD-21; 81.4% and 91.5% for ABVD). Subgroup analyses showed that ABVD-21 was significantly better than ABVD for patients with IPS≥3 in terms of PFS and OS rates. Grade 3 to 4 leukopenia (51.8% vs. 28.8%, P=0.001) and neutropenia (57.6% vs. 39.0%, P=0.009) were more common with ABVD-21. We were led to conclude that dose-dense ABVD did not result in better tumor control and overall survival than did ABVD for early-stage unfavorable HL. However, patients at high risk, for example, with IPS≥3, may benefit from dose-dense ABVD.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and prognosis of Waldeyer ring extranodal nasal-type natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (WR-NKTCL) and Waldeyer ring diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (WR-DLBCL)., Methods: Consecutive diagnoses of 122 WR-DLBCL and 44 WR-NKTCL patients, receiving mainly primary radiotherapy in early-stage WR-NKTCL and primary chemotherapy in early-stage WR-DLBCL, were reviewed., Results: WR-NKTCL occurred predominately in young males, as nasopharyngeal stage I disease with B-symptoms, extranodal dissemination, and involving adjacent structures. WR-DLBCL was mainly stage II tonsillar disease with regional lymph node involvement. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 74% and 67% in WR-DLBCL, respectively, and 68% (P=0.468) and 59% (P=0.303) in WR-NKTCL. In stages I and II disease, WR-DLBCL 5-year OS and PFS were 79% and 76% compared with 72% (P=0.273) and 62% (P=0.117) in WR-NKTCL. In stage I disease, WR-DLBCL 5-year OS and PFS were 81% and 81%, compared with 76% (P=0.394) and 63% (P=0.236) in WR-NKTCL. In addition, the prognostic factors and failure patterns in WR-DLBCL and WR-NKTCL differed substantially., Conclusions: These results indicate that remarkable clinical disparities exist between WR-DLBCL and WR-NKTCL; however, different treatment strategies for each can result in similarly favorable prognoses.

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic importance of rituximab and radiotherapy in patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) receiving doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy. Seventy-nine patients with PMBCL received CHOP chemotherapy with (n = 39) or without rituximab (n = 40), and 60 patients received additional radiotherapy. Patients treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP) had significantly superior survival rates. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 83.7% and 76.7% for R-CHOP, compared with 48.3% (p = 0.011) and 44.2% (p = 0.012) for CHOP, respectively. Similarly, the 5-year OS and PFS rates for early stage patients were 93.8% and 84.6% with R-CHOP, and 52.0% (p = 0.002) and 46.6% (p = 0.003) with CHOP, respectively. Patients treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy had better survival and local control (LC) rates compared with chemotherapy alone. The 5-year OS, PFS and LC rates for early stage patients were 73.6%, 69.9% and 92.6% for chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and 50.8% (p = 0.076), 36.9% (p = 0.008) and 56.4% (p < 0.001) for chemotherapy alone, respectively. Early stage patients treated with R-CHOP and radiotherapy had 5-year OS, PFS and LC rates of 96.4%, 85.9% and 93.1%. R-CHOP plus consolidation radiotherapy was associated with excellent survival and LC rates.

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine-based combination regimen in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). Between May 2007 and August 2011, 26 consecutive patients with PTCL were enrolled in this study. Of these 26 patients, histology was extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type in 14 (53.9 %), peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified in nine (34.6 %), anaplastic large cell lymphoma, ALK negative in three (11.5 %). The majority of patients had newly diagnosed (65.4 %) and advanced (80.8 %) diseases. Treatment regimen was DIMG (dexamethasone, ifosfamide, methotrexate, and gemcitabine) given to the first 6 patients, and GDP (gemcitabine, dexamethasone, and cisplatin) given to the remaining 20 patients. The median follow-up time was 25 (range 7-60) months. The overall response rate was 88.5 %. Twelve (46.2 %) patients achieved complete remission, 11 (42.3 %) patients achieved partial remission, and 1 (3.8 %) patient had stable disease (SD), two (7.7 %) patients had progressive diseases. The 1- and 2-year progression-free survival rates were 58.7 and 45.9 %, while 1- and 2-year overall survival rates for all patients were 80.6 and 63.7 %, respectively. Adverse events included grade 3 or 4 neutropenia (35.0 %) and thrombocytopenia (15.0 %) from patients treated with GDP. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were 100.0 and 66.7 %, respectively, for patients who received DIMG regimen. Our study has demonstrated that the gemcitabine-based combination regimen, especially GDP regimen, is safe and well tolerated with promising clinical activity in patients with PTCLs.

The aim of this study was to analyze outcomes in adult patients with early stage systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) treated with doxorubicin-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Forty-six adult patients with early stage systemic ALCL received chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. All patients except two received chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) or a CHOP-like regimen. Twenty patients had stage I disease, and 26 patients had stage II disease. The 5-yr overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and local control rates for all patients were 84.4%, 63.6%, and 90.8%, respectively. The 5-yr OS and PFS rates were 95.0% and 77.4% for Ann Arbor stage I disease, and 75.1% and 51.7% for stage II disease, respectively. Lymph node involvement was the main pattern of disease progression or relapse for these patients. Adult patients with early stage systemic ALCL treated with doxorubicin-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy had a favorable prognosis., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics, effective treatment and prognosis in childhood and adolescent Hodgkin's lymphoma., Methods: A total of 88 patients with childhood and adolescent Hodgkin's lymphoma were treated in the Cancer Hospital of CAMS from 1998 to 2005. The clinicopathological and follow-up data of the patients were retrospectively reviewed. The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. COX multivariate prognosis analysis was performed., Results: The 2-year event-free survival rate of the 88 patients was 86.4%, the 5-year event-free survival rate was 61.4%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 95.5%. Univariate analysis showed that the stage of disease (P = 0.033), "B" symptoms (P = 0.028), bulky disease (P = 0.007), splenomegaly (P = 0.050), LDH elevation (P = 0.020), chemotherapy regimen (P = 0.003) were prognostic factors in the 5-year event-free survival rate. Splenomegaly (P = 0.039), LDH elevation (P = 0.033), chemotherapy regimen (P = 0.008) were prognostic factors of 5-year overall survival rate. Multivariate analysis showed that chemotherapy regimen (P = 0.033), stage of disease (P = 0.023), LDH elevation (P = 0.008), "B" symptoms (P = 0.044), bulky disease (P = 0.009) were independent prognostic factors of 5-year event-free survival rate. The chemotherapy regimen (P = 0.012) and LDH elevation (P = 0.046) were independent prognostic factors of 5-year overall survival rate., Conclusions: The non-ABVD chemotherapy regimen, stage IV disease, LDH elevation, associated with "B" symptoms and bulky disease are independent prognostic factors of 5-year event-free survival rate. LDH elevation and non-ABVD chemotherapy regimen are independent prognostic factors of 5-year overall survival rate.

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the clinical features and prognostic factors of patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL)., Methods: The clinicopathological and follow-up data of 18 AITL patients undergoing integrated treatment from Feb. 1998 to April 2009 in our department were retrospectively analyzed. All of the patients received CHOP-like regimens as initial chemotherapy, including 4 once treated with radiotherapy and 1 with high dose therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT-ASCT) as upfront consolidation therapy. B-cell, T-cell and NK-cell subgroup proportions in the peripheral blood were tested by flow cytometry in 6 patients., Results: The median age of the 18 patients was 55 years, male and female ratio was 2.6:1. Seventy-two percent of the patients were in an advanced stage. 72% of them had B symptoms, 69% hypergammaglobulinemia, 60% elevated LDH and 47% anemia. Forty-four percent achieved CR after initial treatment with CHOP-like regimens. With the median follow-up of 26 months, the overall 2-year survival and disease free survival (DFS) rates were 62.2% and 44.4%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, only age > 30 years and primary refractory disease adversely affected overall survival (OS); age > 30 years, advanced stage, B symptoms and splenomegaly adversely affected DFS. Four patients suffered from severe pneumonia during treatment, 2 of them died of respiratory failure. Flow cytometry of peripheral blood lymphocytes showed that 5 of the 6 tested cases had decreasing proportion of CD3(+)CD4(+) T cells, B cells and NK cells but elevated CD3(+)CD8(+) T cells. Two heavily treated patients achieved partial and complete response by thalidomide therapy, with a progression free survival (PFS) of 2 and 6+ months, respectively., Conclusion: AITL patients do not response well to CHOP-like regimens chemotherapy. Age < 30 years and sensitive to initial chemotherapy are associated with prolonged OS. Effectiveness of thalidomide in the treatment of AITL deserves further investigation. Peripheral blood lymphocytes test indicates that AITL patients suffered from both natural and acquired immune defects.

Objective: To explore the clinical presentation, treatment and prognosis study of primary subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell cutaneous lymphoma (SCPTCL)., Methods: Ten cases of SCPTCL, treated in our hospital from January 1999 to January 2009, were included in this study. Their clinicopathological data were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively., Results: the median age was 50.5 years (range: 10 - 58), 4 males and 6 females. There were seven CD56 positive, two negative cases and 1 unclear case. Four cases had repeatedly nodules regressed spontaneously without treatment before diagnosis and new nodules appeared at different sites. Seven patients presented with multiple subcutaneous nodules or deeply seated plaques, most commonly on the extremities and trunk. Ulceration of nodules occurred in 3 cases, and the lesions were painful in five cases. The lesions appeared nodules at the beginning, and then gradually grew into tumors. Four patients had abnormal liver function and one patient had hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS), four patients had lymphadenopathy or visceral involvement. Three cases with single lesion underwent surgical excision in combination with chemotherapy or chemotherapy/radiotherapy. One case lost follow up, and two cases live without disease. Among the seven patients with multiple lesions, lymphadenopathy or visceral involvement, one underwent local surgical excision and is alive without disease, six of them received chemotherapy or multi-modality treatment mainly with chemotherapy. Three of these 6 cases are alive without progression, one used histone deacetylase inhibitors after progression and obtained partial regression, and 2 died. The median follow-up for all the 10 patients was 44 months (range: 14 - 99). The progression free survival was 66.7% (6/9), and overall survival was 77.8% (7/9)., Conclusion: SPTCL has an indolent course, some lesions can regress spontaneously and relapse again. Patients with single lesion may live long-term without disease after multimodality therapy. Patients with multiple lesions or extracutaneous involvement are sensitive to CHOP-like regimen, but the duration of remission is short. Histone deacetylase inhibitors may be a promising drug in the treatment for SCPTCL relapse.

Objective: To retrospectively analyze and compare the treatment efficiency of CHOP-based regimens with or without high-dose consolidation treatment combined with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HDT-HSCT) in the patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL)., Methods: From 1989 to 2004, totally 63 patients with LBL were initially treated with a standard CHOP-based regimen. Forty-two of the 63 patients achieved complete response (CR), 26 of those subsequently received consolidation HDT-HSCT, while the other 16 had 6-8 cycles of standard CHOP-based treatment only., Results: Of the 63 patients, 57 had a T-LBL and 6 B-LBL, with a median age of 20 years, 19 (30.2%) had a stage I-II diseases and 44 (69.8%) stage III-IV diseases, 61.9% presented with a mediastinal mass. Bone marrow involvement presented in 28.6% of the patients. Fourteen percent had central nervous system involvement. The median follow-up period was 24 months, and the estimated 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival of this series was 31.2% and 29.3%, respectively. Of the 42 patients who achieved CR, the 5-year OS rate of the patients who received HDT-HSCT as a consolidation therapy was 59.8% versus 14.6% of the patients treated by CHOP-based regimens alone (P=0.004). Bone marrow involvement, age > or =20 years, short response duration and primary refractory disease were factors significantly associated with poor outcome. Among the 18 patients with bone marrow involvement, 3 received allogeneic HSCT and were all still alive at the follow up time of 22, 32 and 37 months, respectively, while another 4 received auto-HSCT and all died of the disease within 14 months., Conclusion: Short term treatment with a CHOP-based regimen is not sufficient for the patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma. High-dose consolidation treatment and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may improve overall survival and disease free survival. Bone marrow involvement, age >20 years, and short response duration and primary refractory disease are all the factors significantly associated with poor outcome. For the patients with bone marrow involvement, allohematopoietic stem cell transplantation is superior to auto-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of chemotherapy alone, radiotherapy alone and combined-modality therapy in the treatment for early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL)., Methods: From 1999 to 2002, totally 150 patients with stage I or II HL were treated in our hospital. They were stratified into several groups based on initial treatment strategy: chemotherapy alone (CT group, n = 22), radiotherapy alone (RT group, n = 18), combined-modality therapy (CMT group, n = 109) and surgical resection (SR group, n = 1). Chemotherapy regimens were mainly ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) and MOPP (mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisone). Radiotherapy modes included involved field radiotherapy (IFRT), extended field radiotherapy (EFRT) and sub-total nodal irradiation (STNI)., Results: The pathological types included nodular sclerosis (NS, n = 84), mixed-cellularity (MC, n = 39), lymphocyte-predominant (LP, n = 23), lymphocyte-depleted (LD, n = 3) and nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's disease (NLPHD, n = 1). Of those, 72 were evaluble in terms of prognostic factors. No poor prognostic factor was found in 36.1% or 29.2% of the patients according to EORTC or GHSG criteria, respectively. There were 33 patients with complete response (CR), 109 with partial response (PR), 5 with stable disease (SD) and 3 with progressive disease (PD) after initial therapy. The median follow-up period was 71.5 months. The overall 7-yr survival rate was 89.3%, and treatment failure rate at 6 years was 18.8%. The response rate of CMT group was superior to that of CT group, and the patients with nodular sclerosis or mixed-cellularity type had significantly lower risk of treatment failure (P = 0.009 and 0.019, respectively). The multivariate analysis revealed that the treatment strategies affected the prognosis significantly. The risk of failure of chemotherapy alone was 2.52 times higher than that of combined-modality therapy (P = 0.004). No predictive factor affecting OS was identified by either univariate or multivariate analysis. The patients in CMT group suffered more adverse effects than those in either CT or RT groups, which mainly consisted of leucopenia, alopecia and gastrointestinal symptoms., Conclusion: Combined-modality therapy is more effective than chemotherapy alone or radiotherapy alone in the treatment for early stage Hodgkin's lymphoma. Though its acute adverse effects are more severe than that of chemotherapy or radiotherapy alone, it may reduce the risk of treatment failure.

Background & Objective: The treatment strategies of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) are different according to clinical stage and risk factors, yet the optimal treatment strategy remains unclear. This study was to analyze the treatment results and prognostic factors of stage IA HL., Methods: According to prognosis, 97 patients with stage IA HL were divided into 3 groups: 7 (7.2%) in very favorable (VF) group, 72 (74.2%) in favorable (F) group, and 18 (18.6%) in unfavorable (UF) group. Short-term treatment outcome and long-term survival were analyzed. The prognosis was analyzed with Cox regression model., Results: Median follow-up time was 65 months. After radiotherapy or radiochemotherapy, 90 patients (92.8%) achieved complete remission (CR). The 5-and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates were 87.7% and 76.3%; the 5-and 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 79.4% and 74.5%. The 5-and 10-year OS rates were 100% and 100% in VF group, 88.9% and 88.4% in F group, 78.1% and 39.1% in UF group (P=0.292). The 5-and 10-year DFS rates were 100% and 87.2% in VF group, 86.3% and 71.8% in F group, 73.6% and 34.5% in UF group (P=0.032). Cox analysis showed that pathologic type (P=0.056) and tumor relapse (P=0.011) influenced OS, and the response to primary treatment (P=0.024) influenced DFS. The relapse rate was 18.6%û there was no significant difference between the patients received radiotherapy alone and those received radiochemotherapy (Chi(2)=0.072, P=0.788). The occurrence rate of secondary malignancies was 5.2%, including 2 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. All the 12 patients who died had received radiotherapy alone., Conclusions: More than 90% of stage IA HL patients can achieve CR with radiotherapy alone or chemoradiotherapy. The long-term OS and DFS of the patients who received radiochemotherapy are better than those of the patients who received radiotherapy alone. The pathologic type, response to primary treatment and tumor relapse may be independent prognostic factors of stage IA HL.

Background & Objective: Head and neck lymphoma develops predominantly in the tonsil. This study was to investigate the clinical features of primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the tonsil, and to explore possible ways to improve the prognosis and quality of life of the patients after treatment., Methods: Clinical data of 89 naive patients with NHL of the tonsil, treated from May 1990 to Jan. 2003, were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were confirmed pathologically and classified according to revised European-American Lymphoid Neoplasms and World Health Organization Classification, and staged according to the Ann Arbor classification. Stage I-II patients received radiochemotherapy-predominant treatment, whereas stage III-IV patients received chemotherapy-predominant treatment., Results: Of the 89 cases, 60 (67%) were diffuse large B-cell subtype, 11 (12%) were peripheral T-cell subtype, 5 (6%) were indolent lymphoma, 1 was anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma, and 1 was T lymphoblastic lymphoma; 81 (91%) were stage I-II disease. Of the 89 patients, 58 (72%) received radiochemotherapy, 19 (21%) received radiotherapy alone, 3 received chemotherapy alone, and 1 received radiochemotherapy combined with rituximab. The 5-year overall survival rate was 80%, that of stage I-II patients was 84%. Cox regression multivariate analysis showed that the survival rate was correlated to the value of international prognostic index (IPI), and whether the patient had primary refractory or relapsed disease, but was not correlated to sex, age, pathologic subtype, B symptoms, and bulky disease., Conclusions: Most patients with NHL of the tonsil are at early stages, with good prognosis. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common pathologic subtype. Primary refractory, relapse, and IPI>1 are independent prognostic factors.

Objective: To evaluate whether involved-field (IF) radiotherapy is equally effective and less toxic in comparison with extended-field (EF) radiotherapy for patients with early-stage Hodgkin's disease (HD) who received combined modality therapy., Methods: The data of 88 early-stage HD patients treated with combined modality therapy were retrospectively reviewed. According to Ann Arbor classification, 12 patients (13.7%) had stage IA disease, 56 stage IIA (63.6%), and 20 IIB (22.7%). Forty-two (47.7%) patients underwent involved field radiotherapy (IF group), whereas the other 46 (52.3%) received extended field radiotherapy (EF group)., Results: Of 6 patients who developed recurrence, 3 (7.1%) were in IF group and the other 3 (6.5%) in EF group. Only one patient's recurrence developed inside the radiation field in EF group. Three patients (7.2%) in IF group and 9 (19.5%) in EF group had WHO grade 1 and 2 leukopenia (P = 0.089). Overall survival rate at 1-, 2- and 3-year was 100.0%, 97.1%, and 97.1% in IF group versus 100.0%, 100%, and 95.8% in EF group (P = 0.86), respectively. Freedom from progression survival rate at 1-, 2- and 3-year was 97.6%, 94.8%, and 91.7% in IF group versus 97.8%, 93.2%, and 93.2% in EF group (P = 0.65), respectively., Conclusion: Compared with extended-field radiotherapy, involved-field radiotherapy is equally effective and less toxic for patient with early-stage Hodgkin's disease treated with combined modality therapy.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics, reasonable mode of treatment and prognostic factors in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL)., Methods: Twenty-eight patients with PCNSL treated from 1989 to 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical characteristics, results of treatment and prognostic factors were analyzed by SPSS10.0 statistic software., Results: Of 28 patients, 18 men and 10 women with a median age of 52 years. The median survival time was 2 years (range 6 months-6 years). The 5-year survival rate was 21.4%. Nineteen patients had single-locus lesion and 9 multi-locus lesion, 78.6% of the patients were diagnosed as having B-cell origin, its main type being diffuse large cell lymphoma. According to international working formulation (WF), moderate-grade of histopathology was observed in 57.7% (15/28). Cox regression analysis revealed that single- or multi-locus lesion was only independent prognostic factor (P = 0.0417). Combined chemotherapy showed significant efficacy for those patients who had lesion of B-cell origin, high grade or multi-locus lesion, and the efficacy of irregular chemotherapy was better than that of regular chemotherapy., Conclusion: Primary central nervous system lymphoma has a special prognostic factor. Chemotherapy plays a very important role in comprehensive treatment, irregular chemotherapy should be adopted as a regular treatment.