CHILDHOOD NHL IN SWITZERLAND - INCIDENCE AND SURVIVAL OF 120 STUDY AND 42 NON-STUDY PATIENTS

Based on the Swiss Pediatric Oncology Group (SPOG) cancer registry dat a during 1981-1991, a high average incidence of 8 new NHL per million children younger than 15 years per year was found. Of 162 children wit h NHL registered in 1976-1991, 120 were study patients, i.e., official ly registered and treated according to SPOG or Pediatric Oncology Grou p (POG) protocols, while 42 were non-study patients, i.e., patients no t officially enrolled on protocols. Overall, 91 of 120 (76%) study pat ients remained alive. Seventy-nine study patients were treated accordi ng to older SPOG protocols, and 53 (67%) of these survived, while 38 o f 41 (93%) study patients treated according to newer POG protocols rem ained alive (P = 0.0068). Only 22 (52%) of the 42 non-study patients s urvived (P = 0.0001). There was no improvement if the survival of non- study patients before and since 1986 was compared. Population-based tr eatment results in Switzerland were similar to those in the United Kin gdom. They provided an important base for the development of future tr eatment strategies. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.