[Meningosis-prophylaxis in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (author's transl)].

In ALL the first complete remission would be terminated by CNS-relapse in two thirds of the patients if they received a modern chemotherapeutic treatment without meningosis-prophylaxis. The incidence of meningosis is reduced to 10% by prophylactic irradiation of the cranium (60Co, 2400 rd) and intrathecal methotrexate shortly after hematological remission has been achieved. Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas may be complicated by CNS disease, especially if the risk of spread to the bone marrow is high. Therefore, meningosis-prophylaxis should be included into treatment programs for malignant lymphomas of the lymphocytic poorly differentiated type beyond stage I, especially if the mediastinum is involved. CNS-prophylaxis cannot be recommended for patients with malignant lymphomas in pathological stage I. For the rest of the patients with malignant lymphomas guidelines cannot be given at the present time, because sufficient empirical data are lacking.