Forty-two patients with previously untreated peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) were treated with an intensive chemothcrapy protocol. Either the BACOP or the m-BACOD regimen was used for induction. Patients achieving complete clinical remission after three courses were given intensive consolidation and maintenance chemotherapy similar to the LlOiL17M protocol designed by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Group for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoblastic lymphoma. There were 27 (64 per cent) males and 15 (36 per cent) females. The median age was 54 years (mean 53, range 15 to 68). Scven of them (17 per cent) had stage I disease, four (10 per cent) stage 11, seven (17 per cent) stage I11 and 24 (57 per cent) stage IV.
Eighteen patients (43 per cent) had B symptoms and four (10 per cent) had bulky disease. According to the Working Formulation, thc histology was diffuse mixed in 16 patients (38 per cent), diffuse large cell in 18 (43 per cent), diffuse immunoblastic in four (10 per cent) and unclassifiable in four (10 per cent). According to a modified Japanese Lymphoma Study Group's classification, thc histology in 24 patients (57 per cent) was the plcomorphic type, in 13 (3 1 per cent) immunoblastic-lymphadenopathy-like (IBL-like), and in five ( I 2 per cent) unclassifiable. The overall complete remission rate was 67 per cent. Twenty-five per cent of the complete responders relapsed and the DFS of thc C R patients was 62 per cent at three years. The overall survival of all patients at three years was 52 per cent. Patients with stage 1, I1 and 111 disease had significantly better C R rate (100 per cent versus 42 per cent, p =O.OOl) and overall survival (82 per cent versus 35 per cent at three years, p=O.O1) than those with stage IV disease but the relapse reate and DFS of C R batients were similar. This study shows that the prognosis of patients with PTCL can be improved by intensive therapy.