[Do we have to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphomas the same as Hodgkin's disease?].

The pattern of Hodgkin's disease has changed significantly with the use of radical radiotherapy (total nodal irradiation) and chemotherapy, and with the general adoption of the histological classification of LUKES and the Ann Arbor modification of Rye staging system. Histological classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is far from satisfactory, a fact which renders evaluation of the optimum treatment difficult. Spread is usually hematogenic. Bone marrow and mesenteric nodes are involved in 60% of cases, and therefore total nodal irradiation is ineffective in eradicating the disease. Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice except in some stages IE and IIE when, after careful pretherapy evaluation, local radiotherapy may be sufficient. In generalized lymphomas the role of total body irradiation is still under study.