van der Werf-Messing B
Recent Results Cancer Res. 1978;65:111-28. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-81249-1_15.
An analysis of 232 patients with extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas has been presented. Prognosis of each site has been assessed. The influences of good radiation therapy and stage at the time of first treatment have been evaluated. Simple clinical examination and sedimentation rate appeared to be the first indicators of an existing or threatening relapse. This relapse alarm usually preceded distant relapse or dissemination. Retrospectively, the value of expensive (psychologically and financially to the patient) routine investigations has been evaluated with regard to the information they contributed to the understanding of the disease and hence to probably better treatment. In the same way, the hypothetic benefit from elective superb chemotherapy has been assessed, assuming that this might prevent relapses after good radiation therapy and disregarding the fact that the chemotherapy actually given resulted either in temporary partial response or no response at all.