[New diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of lymphogranulomatosis]

The prognosis of lymphogranulomatosis has improved by the considerably improved diagnostics as well as the modern radiological and polychemo-therapeutical methods. Today the average survival time is between 4 and 5 years. But survival times up to 15 years and more are described. Apart from the early diagnosis, into which according to the opinion of many internal specialists the otorhinolaryngologists must be included more than it was hitherto the case, nowadays the modern radiotherapy with explorative laparotomy and splenectomy and the perhaps following combination chemotherapy might bring a further improvement. Growing age, histological types with a small number of lymphocytes, too late diagnosis and deficient control decrease, however, signigicantly the chances of surviving. Certainly, in future more modern methods of chemotherapy must be used. The same applies to the treatment of the developing immunoinsufficiency and the eventual further performance of the cytostatic treatment in the sense of a maintenance therapy. From the modern point of view the way taken might lead to still higher survival times. In as far immunotherapy will be of greater importance already in the next years is not yet to be decided at present.