Multimodal Approaches in the Patients with Stage I, II non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma of the Head and Neck

Pyo, Hong Ryull; Suh, Chang Ok; Kim, Gwi Eon; Rho, Jae Kyung

Abstract

PURPOSE: Traditionally the patients with early stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of he head and neck was treated with radiotherapy. But the results were not satisfactory due to distant relapse. Although combined treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy was tried with some improved results and chemotherapy alone was also tried in recent years, the choice of treatment for the patients with early stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck has not been defined. Therfore, in order to determine the optimum treatment method, we analysed retrospectively the outcomes of the patients with Ann Arbor stage I and II non-Hodgkin's lymphoma localized to the head and neck who were treated at Serverance Hospital.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
159 patients with stage I and II non-hodgkin's lymphoma localized to the head and neck were treated at our hospital from January, 1979 to December, 1992. Of these patients, 114 patients whose primary sites were Waldeyer's ring or nodal region, and received prescribed radiation dose and/or more than 2 cycles of chemotherapy, were selected to analyze the outcomes according to the treatment methods (radiotherapy alone, chemotherapy alone, and combined treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy).
RESULTS
Five year overall actuarial survival of the patients whose primary site was Waldeyer's ring was 62.5%, and that of the patients whose primary site was nodal region was 53.8%. There was no statistically significant difference between survivals of both groups. Initial response rate to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and combined treatment was 92%, 83%, 94% respectively, and 5 year relapse free survival was 49.9%, 52.4%, 58.5% respectively (statistically no significant). In the patients with stage I, 3 year relapse free survival of chemotherapy alone group was 75% and superior to other treatment groups. In the patients with stage II, combined treatment group revealed the best result with 60.1% of 3 year relapse free survival. The effect of sequential schedule of each treatment method in the patients who were treated by combined modality was analyzed and the sequence of primary chemotherapy + radiotherapy + maintenance chemotherapy shoed the best result (3 year relapse free survival was 79.1%). There was no significant survival difference between BACOP regimen and CHOP regimen. Response to treatment was only one significant (p<0.005) prognostic factor on univariate analysis and age and mass size was marginally significant (p<0.01). On multivariate analysis, age (p=0.026) and mass size (p=0.013) were significant prognostic factor for the relapse free survival.
CONCLUSION
In summary, the patients who have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck with stage I and mass size smaller that 10cm , can be treated by chemotherapy alone, but remainder should be treated by combined treatment method and the best combination schedule was the sequence of initial chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy and maintenance chemotherapy.