RESUMO
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic factors and treatment outcome of for elderly patients (age>or=60 at time of diagnosis) with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 52 patients diagnosed with aggressive NHL between January 1990 and May 2000. RESULTS: The patient's median age was 69 years (range: 60~92). Thirty-two (61.5%) patients were male. Patients included those with diffuse large B cell (53.8%), peripheral T cell (23.1%), AILD-like T-cell (3.8%), angiocentric (3.8%), mantle cell (3.8%), Burkitt's lymphoma (3.8%), and others (7.9%). International prognostic index (IPI) parameters were as follows: elevated LDH (60.8%), ECOG performance status>or=2 (32.7%), advanced stage (III/IV, 62.7%), and extranodal site>or=2 (11.5%). Twenty-six (50.0%) patients demonstrated a high and high-intermediate IPI. The median follow-up for surviving patients was 26.6 months. The overall median survival was 22.7 months and the 2-year survival rate was 46.9%. Among the 49 patientstreated with chemotherapy, 28 (57.1%) patients achieved complete remission (CR). Univariate analysis identified 8 prognostic factors for overall survival: ageor=60 years) with aggressive NHL can be successfully treated with conventional chemotherapy and the important prognostic factors for survival are age, IPI, initial WBC, and CR on first line treatment.