Radiochemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in palatine tonsil

From January 1966 to December 1980, 367 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were autopsied at Kobe University Hospital. The rate of extranodular type was 76.7% and the most common site of origin was the palatine tonsil. Of 133 patients with NHL in the palatine tonsil, at the Kobe University Hospital 110 were treated. All of the patients were treated by irradiation. Sixty-one patients were treated by irradiation alone. Forty-nine patients were treated in addition with conventional chemotherapy using vincristine, cyclophosphamide, endoxan a, and prednisolone. In 14 of 49 patients, adjuvant immunochemotherapy using a Streptococcus pyogenes (OK-432) was added at maintenance dose in combination with induction radiochemotherapy. The survival curve of the patients treated by radiochemotherapy is better than that of the patients treated by irradiation alone. The survival rates at 0 to 1, 1 to 2, and 2 to 3 years for the patients treated by radiochemotherapy were 81.5, 66.3, and 59.0%, respectively, significantly higher than those of the radiotherapy group. The 5-year survival rates of the radiotherapy group were 50.2% for Stage I and 26.5% for Stage II patients. The rates increased to 78% and 41.8% by radiochemotherapy. The extranodal NHL of Stage II also frequently develops into the advanced stage and adjuvant chemotherapy is necessary for such patients.