[Cyclophosphamide-vincristine-prednisone combination in the treatment of lympho- and reticulosarcomas in adults (60 cases)].

60 patients with non Hodgkin's lymphomas were treated with a CVP induction regimen, either alone (stage IV) or in combination with radiotherapy (stages I, II, III). The response rates for lymphocytic and histiocytic lymphomas were 80 and 86%. The complete remission rates were 68 and 71% with a median duration respectively of 13 and 5.5 months. Nodular types did respond better than diffuse both in lymphocytic (CR rate 85% vs 44%; median duration 24 months +, vs 2.5) and histiocytic lymphoma (CR rate 100% vs 0%). In lymphocytic lymphomas, survival in the responding group was 90% at 24 months, vs 20% only in the non responding group (median survival 14.5 months). In the group with nodular lymphocytic lymphoma responding to therapy, there was a 100% survival rate at 24 months. The median survival for patients treated with chemotherapy alone (stage IV) and not responding to therapy, was 22 months, vs 14.5 months in the whole non responder group (stages I, II, III, IV) suggesting a detrimental effect of radiotherapy in the non responding group. In histiocytic lymphomas, the median survivals were respectively 19 months and 3 months in the responding and non responding groups. These results corroborate the excellent efficacy of the CVP regimen. They also indicate that, faced to a CVP induction, 2 major prognosis factors are the histologic type and the nature of the response to therapy.