Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. II. Single agent chemotherapy

A retrospective analysis of 110 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who received one or more courses of single agent chemotherapy was conducted to determine the relationship between the histopathologic category of lymphoma, based on the scheme of Rappaport et al., and the results of chemotherapy. The data were most complete for oral alkylating agents. Complete tumor regressions occurred significantly more often in patients with nodular lymphomas than diffuse (p < 0.01) and were of longer duration. Responses and survival after the initiation of chemotherapy correlated closely with the histopathologic category of lymphoma ranging from a 5% complete response (CR) rate in patients with diffuse histiocytic lymphoma to a 48% CR rate in patients with nodular lymphocytic poorly differentiated lymphoma. The latter group exhibited a median survival of 60+ months from the initiation of chemotherapy. This study emphasizes the need to employ the more precise histologic classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas according to the criteria of Rappaport et al. in the design and interpretation of future prospective chemotherapy trials in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.