Purpose: Our purpose was to describe the treatment outcome of patients with follicular large-cell lymphoma (FLCL) and to identify prognostic factors that affect the treatment outcome.
Patients and methods: Between 1980 and 1991, 107 newly diagnosed, previously untreated patients with FLCL were prospectively treated using treatment plans of the Nebraska Lymphoma Study Group (NLSG). Most stage I/II patients received two to three cycles of one of four closely related six-drug combination chemotherapy regimens (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin or mitoxantrone, and procarbazine, plus bleomycin, vincristine, and prednisone or dexamethasone [CAP/BOP I-IV]) plus involved-field radiotherapy; 10 patients received involved-field irradiation only. Stage III/IV patients received six to eight cycles of CAP/BOP.
Results: Forty-four percent of patients had stage I/II disease. Stage I/II patients were older and more often female than stage III/IV patients. Cytogenetic studies were available on 35 patients: seven were normal; the most common abnormality was a translocation involving 14q32. Abnormalities of 1p or 1q were also common, often secondary to a 14q32 abnormality. The median follow-up of surviving patients is 2 years. The complete response rates observed were stage I/II, 88%; stage III/IV, 49%. Complete response rates were affected by both age and tumor bulk. Failure-free survival (FFS; time to first occurrence of progression, relapse after response, or death from any cause) at 3 years was estimated to be 61% for stage I/II patients and 34% for stage III/IV patients. Survival at 3 years was estimated to be 76% and 61%, respectively. FFS of stage III/IV patients was poorer for stage IV patients and those with composite lymphomas. Significantly poorer survival was only seen in patients older than 70 years of age.
Conclusion: A proportion of stage I/II FLCL patients may obtain long-term disease control with combination chemotherapy plus radiotherapy. Results for patients with stage III/IV FLCL are similar to those seen for other follicular lymphomas.