Could cisplatin as a front-line treatment in childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma be a promising therapy?

Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) were often erroneously diagnosed as other mal ignancies and treated accordingly. In this study cisplatin combined with vi ncristine, cyclophosphamide, and Adriamycin was weal incidentally as a fron t-line treatment in seven children with NHL, because the initial histologic diagnosis was that of a sarcoma. After reevaluation three patients had Ki- 1 anaplastic large cell lymphoma of T-cell origin, two abdominal B-cell dif fuse high-grade NHL, one mediastinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and one B-cell lymphoma in the stomach. They received at least two courses of cisp latin combined regimen and continued with other protocol for NHL. All patie nts showed an extremely: good response from the first course of therapy and the masses vanished completely. They were followed up for a mean time of 2 9.5 months and are all in complete remission. The data indicate that cispla tin is active against NHL and might be a promising alternative front-like t herapy.