Background: To investigate the results of the treatment of large-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (LCNHL) with the MACOP-B chemotherapy protocol.
Methods: 20 patients with the following inclusion criteria were treated: LCNHL with a definite majority of large lymphoid cells and absence of previous therapy, HIV infection or severe underlying diseases.
Results: Three patients died during therapy and 15 (75%) achieved a complete remission. Actuarial survival after 36 months (0.66) was significantly better (p = 0.05) than that of a comparable historical series of LCNHL treated with CHOP (0.28). Age, stages III-IV, B symptoms, large lymphatic mass (LLM) and bone marrow infiltration did not negatively affect survival. The toxicity of the MACOP-B protocol was high: mucositis (65%), cytopenia (55%), neuropathy (40%), complications of steroid therapy (15%), and mortality directly related with therapy in 15%. Residual masses were found after therapy in 7% (70%) with BD, which were localized in lymphoid areas or in parenchyma (spleen and kidney). Surgical exploration showed that the residual masses were not tumoral in three cases, and in another three magnetic resonance suggested inactive disease.
Conclusions: The MACOP-B protocol is highly effective for the treatment of LCNHL. The essential prognostic factor for survival in these NHL appears to be the cell composition with a great majority of large cells.