[Prognostic differences in low-malignancy germinal center cell lymphomas and immunocytomas. Relationship to histological subtypes, stages and therapy].

Based on repeated interval analyses, radiotherapy and cytostatic drug therapy were stepwise intensified and combined in 264 patients diagnosed between 1976 and 1981 as having histopathologically low-malignant centroblastic-centrocytic (cb/cc; n = 106), centrocytic (cc; n = 34) or immunocytic lymphoma (n = 124). The number of treatment failures and recurrences were clearly reduced. There were three prognostic steps in survival probability: 90% after seven years for stages IA-IVA of the cb/cc lymphoma as well as for the extranodal lymphoplasmocytoid and lymphoplasmocytic immunocytomas, stages I-IV of Ann Arbor, and stages 0-II of the Rai classifications. In the Rai stages III and IV these immunocytomas had a definitely worse prognosis, at 60%. Prognostically most unfavourable, at levels of around or below 30%, were the B forms of cb/cc lymphomas, all stages of centrocytoma and the polymorph-cell immunocytomas. The survival rate of the cb/cc lymphomas was increased by about 33%, compared with cases of Brill-Symmers' disease between 1970 and 1975. The alternating use of cytostatic combinations seems to be more favourable among the previously little affected centrocytomas and the polymorph-cell immunocytomas.