[Prognosis of childhood mediastinal lymphoma]

Between 1973 and 1989, 16 children with non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) with a mediastinal mass (MM) were treated at our institution with multi-agent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. They also received central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis including intrathecal methotrexate administration (14 cases) and cranial irradiation (7 cases). Twelve were boys and 4 girls. Median age was 11 +/- 3. One patient died of air way obstruction one day after admission. Fourteen of 15 patients entered into complete remission (CR) and one patient partial remission. Five remains in CR 7 to 175 months after diagnosis (median 76 months). Nine patients relapsed in the bone marrow (3 cases), CNS (3), testicles (1), neck lymph node (1) and bones plus kidneys (1). Of these, 7 patients died within 13 months after initial relapse. The disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival of all patients were 27% and 33%, respectively. Analysis of the prognostic factors among patients with MM+ -NHL revealed that the serum LDH level below 1,000IU/l was a good prognostic sign. Other factors such as age, stage, initial WBC count, size of MM and response of the MM to the initial treatment did not correlate with DFS. Because of its rarity and the poor treatment result, we need more aggressive treatment program by a multiinstitutional study for MM+ -NHL.