Malignant histiocytosis: complete remission with combination chemotherapy.

A case of a 16-year-old girl with malignant histiocytosis involving the lymph nodes, bone marrow, peripheral blood, liver, and spleen is described. This patient achieved a complete remission with cyclic quadruple chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (COPP). She is alive and free of disease more than 4 years after the completion of COPP and after having had maintenance treatment with a small dose of cyclophosphamide for 2 3/4 years. Such good results with the COPP regimen in malignant histiocytosis have not been reported previously, and it is suggested that this modality of treatment warrants further trial.