UKALL X--an effective treatment for stage III mediastinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Fifteen children with mediastinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were treated with MRC UKALL X, the current national protocol for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The treatment was well tolerated, and in a minimum follow up period of 46 months the event free survival of 93% was significantly better than that in a group of historical controls treated with intermittent chemotherapy regimens whose survival was only 57%. We conclude that intensive induction and consolidation treatment, with continued oral drugs, provides an effective approach to the management of mediastinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.