Within a multicentre observation study on non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) diagnosed according to the Kiel classification advanced stages III and IV of centrocytic (CC) lymphoma exhibited the worst prognosis among lymphomas of low-grade malignancy with a 5-year survival probability of less than 10 per cent. Treatment had been solely expectative and palliative with treatment results showing a prognostic superiority of patients achieving partial and complete remissions over non-responders. Therefore, a randomized multicentre study was initiated to compare the remission-inducing potential of the COP regimen (Bagley et al., 1972) with that of the more intensive adriamycin-containing CHOP regimen (McKelvey et al., 1976). From 91 newly diagnosed CC lymphomas 63 fulfilled randomization criteria with 37 patients assigned to the COP regimen and 26 patients to the CHOP regimen. Between the COP- and CHOP-treated patients no significant differences could be demonstrated with respect to initial clinical parameters, rate of complete (41 per cent versus 58 per cent) or partial remissions (43 per cent versus 31 per cent), median overall survival probability (32 versus 37 months), relapse-free survival (10 versus 7 months) and rates of relapse (73 per cent versus 67 per cent) and death (57 per cent versus 50 per cent). It can be concluded that CC lymphoma is a typical lymphoma of low-grade malignancy with its inability to reach stable remissions while the demonstration of identical survival probabilities for patients with complete and partial remissions constitutes a unique feature of this lymphoma entity. These observations prove advanced CC lymphoma to represent an incurable neoplastic disease under conventional therapeutic approaches.

No abstract

Acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura is a rare disease. Most reported patients did not respond to any therapeutical approach. Recently we observed a striking improvement of this disorder in a female patient shortly after therapy with danazol had been initiated. This observation and its possible implication for the treatment of amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia are reported herein.

For analysis of prognostic factors the clinical course of 109 patients with multiple myeloma was evaluated. Survival curves of immunoglobulin (Ig)G- and IgA-myelomas were identical (Fig. 1) with median survival times of 52 and 42 months, respectively, whereas patients with IgD- and Bence-Jones-myeloma had short survival times (median 3 months). Most important risk factors were anemia, renal insufficiency, and hypercalcemia (Figs. 7 and 8). Median survival time dropped from 52 months (Hb above 100 g/l) to 22 (Hb 85-100 g/l) and 1 month (Hb below 85 g/l). Patients with serum creatinine values below 2 mg/dl lived significantly longer than those with values above. Median survival times were 52 and 1 month, respectively. All seven hypercalcemic patients had a renal insufficiency and were in a very poor condition; their median survival time was 1 month. Analysis of the widely used staging system of Durie and Salmon gave disappointing results. Survival curves of the three A-stages ran close together with median survival times of 58, 51, and 36 months. Only the A-B classification according to renal function (A: creatinine under 2 mg/dl; B: creatinine above 2 mg/dl) proved prognostically relevant.

No abstract