Follicular lymphoma. A series of 11 patients with minimal or no treatment and long survival

Follicular lymphoma is the commonest low-grade lymphoma. Its indolent natur e even in advanced stages and the failure of conservative or aggressive tre atments to achieve a cure have questioned the need for immediate treatment. Eleven patients with follicular lymphoma who had minimal or no treatment w ere retrospectively reviewed. Median age was 44 years. Staging was: I (4), III (6) and IV (1). Eight were confirmed to have follicular lymphoma of who m six did not receive treatment at presentation. Four of these patients rem ain in remission after 14 to 30 years of follow-up and the other two have r elapsed after 10 and 13 years of follow-up, respectively. Two patients who were treated at diagnosis remained disease free for 18 years. Three patient s had diffuse large cell lymphoma on review. They received no treatment, ra diotherapy or chemotherapy and have been in remission for 36, 14 and 23 yea rs respectively. The overall survival is 58% at 30 years, and median surviv al has not been reached for the whole group. Observation seems to be a vali d alternative to treatment in patients with stages I to III until signs of progression.