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R/R disease was defined as follows: (1) autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) eligible patients who failed to achieve a CR after at least one salvage therapy, (2) patients in first relapse after ASCT or (3) patients not eligible for ASCT who failed to achieve a CR after at least one prior treatment. Results from a phase II LYSA study (PIVeR) B Introduction: b The prognosis of patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive non-hodgkin lymphoma (R/R aNHL) remains poor with conventional immunochemotherapies. [Extracted from the article]

From January 1995 to June 1998, 136 new cases of non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) were seen in our center which serves all the French Basque Country (300000 inhabitants). The crude and standardized incidence rates were respectively 13.2 and 7.6 cases/100000/year. The distribution of histologic subtypes according to the REAL classification showed a good correlation with the previous published data. Eleven patients (8%) were HIV-positive and two (1.4%) were HCV carriers. Hence, in our region, contrary to Italy, there is no evidence of relationship between HCV and NHLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty-six patients older than 65 (median age: 77, range: 65-91) were treated in our general hospital, between January 1991 and November 1995 with the diagnosis of AML. Twenty-five were de novo AML (45%). The other cases which were considered as secondary AML (sAML) occurred after: myelodysplastic syndromes (19 cases: 34%), myeloproliferative disorders (7: 13%) or therapy of malignancies (5: 9%). Distribution of FAB subtypes was: M0: 4, M1: 8, M2: 14, M4: 10, M4eo: 1, M5: 10, M6: 1, unclassified: 8. Twenty-seven patients (48%) (de novo: 18, sAML: 9) received conventional "3 + 5" or "3 +7" induction chemotherapy +/- consolidation and maintenance (group 1). Low-dose Ara-C was given in eighteen cases (32%) (group 2), miscellaneous single agents were prescribed in seven cases and two patients received only supportive care. Sixteen early deaths (ED) (<1 month) occurred (29%). Distribution of age, WHO-PS, hyperleukocytosis, ED and median survival (MS) (3 months) was equivalent in de novo and sAML. Fifteen CR were achieved including twelve patients from group 1 (no difference between age <75 versus >75 years) and three from group 2. The MS of CR patients was 13 months. Eleven patients survived more than one year (de novo: 8). M5 subtype, fever >38 degrees C, high LDH level, WHO-PS>2, CR non achievement were predictive of reduced survival. Besides conventional induction, investigational therapies currently remain the best antileukemic modalities. Age per se should not be an exclusion criteria for treatment. Our data underline the high frequency of sAML in the community. Of note, this common type AML is largely excluded from many trials.