CONSERVATIVE MANAGEMENT OF FOLLICULAR NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA IN CHILDHOOD

Among 447 children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) on the childhood U.K. registry, seven children with follicular (NHL) were identified. F our were male and their age ranged from 4.25 to 13.5 years (median 7.5 ); all had localized disease, Murphy's stage I (n = 4) and II (n = 3). Sites involved at presentation were cervical lymph nodes and tonsils (n = 5), ileum (n = 1) and parotid gland (n = 1). Three had complete s urgical excision only and four had complete (n = 1) or incomplete exci sion (n = 3) followed by a short multi-agent chemotherapy regimen (UKC CSG 9001 protocol). With a median follow-up of 1.5 years (range 0.25-5 years) from diagnosis, six are alive in complete remission (CR) inclu ding three who had no chemotherapy. These results confirm previous rep orts that follicular lymphomas in children are rare (1.5%) and tend to be localized at presentation, Their rarity makes it difficult to prod uce guidelines about treatment, but in localized cases a period of non -intervention may be justified.