RESULTS OF TREATMENT WITH CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE, DOXORUBICIN, VINCRISTINE AND PREDNISONE (CHOP) FOR NON-HODGKINS AGGRESSIVE LYMPHOMA ANALYZED ACCORDING TO THE INTERNATIONAL PROGNOSTIC INDEX

Forty patients with aggressive (intermediate-grade and high-grade) non -Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were treated primarily with cyclophosphamide , doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy regimen , and then evaluated for prognostic features, Age, tumor stage, perfor mance status, number of extranodal disease sites and serum concentrati ons of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) a ere considered prognostic feature s, All the patients treated with the CHOP regimen were grouped into fo ur risk categories, including low (L), low-intermediate (LI): high-int ermediate (HI) and high (tli according to the International Prognostic Index, Twenty-one of 23 patients (91.3%) in the L plus LI risk groups and 5 of 17 patients (29.4%) in the H plus MI risk groups had complet e response and the difference between these percentages was statistica lly significant (P<0.001). The overall survival rate (2 yr) of 23 pati ents in the L+LI risk group was 52.1% and of 17 patients in H+HI risk group was 11.7% and this difference was statistically significant (P<0 .05). Our results indicated that the CHOP regimen is not effective in the HI+H risk groups of patients with aggressive NHL. New experimental approaches are needed for these patients.