PRESENTING FEATURES, NATURAL-HISTORY, AND PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN LOCALIZED NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMAS - ANALYSIS OF 117 CASES FROM A SINGLE INSTITUTION

Clinical features and prognostic factors were analyzed in a series of 117 patients with localized non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (stage I-II). Media n age of the patients was 53 years and 52% were men; 22% had a lymphom a of low-grade histology and one-third presented with extranodal invol vement. Eighty percent of the patients achieved a complete response (C R); stage of disease and histology were revealed as the most important factors for response. When analysis was restricted to intermediate/hi gh-grade cases, stage showed a predictive value for response, With a m edian follow-up of 4.5 years, median overall survival was 13.0 years, with 73%, and 62.5% of patients being alive at 5 and 10 years, respect ively. Main initial parameters significantly related to a shorter surv ival were intermediate/high-grade histology, stage II, poor performanc e status, bulky disease, high serum LDH levels, increased ESR, and adv anced International Index. In the multivariate analysis, stage, histol ogy and performance status (PS) were statistically significant. Among intermediate/high-grade lymphoma patients, stage and PS provided progn ostic value for survival. Twenty-six patients relapsed after CR; media n survival after relapse was 3.7 years. Stage (I vs II) was the only p redictive variable for relapse in both the whole series and the interm ediate/high-grade subset.