NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMAS IN TURKEY - 18 YEARS EXPERIENCE AT THE HACETTEPE-UNIVERSITY

In this retrospective study, 470 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) who had been followed in the Hacettepe University Medical Oncolo gy Department between 1973 and 1990, were evaluated to establish their epidemiologic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics. Out of 470 p atients, 302 (62.2%) were male and 168 (37.8%) were female, The ages r anged from 16 to 85, with a median of 44 years. Constitutional symptom s were present in 46.4% of the patients. According to the Working Form ulation, low, intermediate, and high-grade lymphomas comprised 33.4%, 54.9%, and 12.7%, respectively. The most common extranodal presentatio n was gastrointestinal. The chemotherapy regimens most commonly used w ere CVP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone), BCNOP (bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone, vincristine, prednisone), CHOP (cyclo phosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) and CHOP-Bleo (cycl ophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone, bleomycin). The re sponse rates and the survival figures attained with these regimens wer e not statistically significantly different (P>0.05). In the Cox multi variate model, pathologic grade, leukopenia, responsiveness to chemoth erapy, bone marrow involvement and age were the important factors infl uencing the disease-free survival, while responsiveness to chemotherap y, age, presence of constitutional symptoms, pathologic grade, extrano dal presentation and stage were the important factors influencing the overall survival. The distribution of NHL according to grade and stage was similar to that in western societies, while constitutional sympto ms and lymphomas of the small intestine including immunoproliferative small intestinal disease were more common in Turkey.