[Interdisciplinary therapeutic planning in the treatment in malignant lymphoma and its results]

The development of curative treatment for malignant lymphoma over the last few years is described. Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin lymphomas are discussed separately. The current improved cure rates for Hodgkin's disease have become possible only with more exact determination of disease stage and a clinically relevant histological classification and definition of other risk factors. These prognostic criteria provide the basis for determining whether radiotherapy alone, chemotherapy alone, or a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy offers the best chance for cure. --For the much more heterogenous disease group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, a similar line of development is in progress. Here better forms of chemotherapy have been of primary importance and have significantly improved the prospects of cure, especially for cases in stage III and IV with unfavorable histologies. Combination treatment with radio- and chemotherapy is still in the developmental stage for non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The place of large volume radiotherapy such as total body or total abdominal irradiation has still to be determined.