Large cell lymphoma stage IA/IAE

Fifty-two patients with large cell lymphoma stage IA/IAE were retrospectively reviewed for the purpose of evaluation of treatment methods. All pathology slides were reviewed by one pathologist with a special interest in lymphoma. There were 24 patients at stage IA and 28 at stage IAE. Twenty-six patients were treated with radiation alone (10 IA, 16 IAE) and 26 patients were treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy (13 IA, 13 IAE). Patients treated with radiation therapy alone and those with combined modality therapy (CMT) have similar survival curves with p values greater than 0.05. Recurrence patterns are similar for either method of treatment. While the majority of the literature recommends CMT for large cell lymphoma, our study of 52 patients reveals no difference in survival or recurrence patterns for these patients by either method of treatment. We recommend radiation therapy alone for stage IA/IAE large cell lymphoma, with chemotherapy held in reserve for failure.