Background: The initial publication of the results of the Australianand New Zealand Lymphoma Group (ANZLG) randomized controlled trial comparingMACOP-B and CHOP in patients with intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma(NHL) showed equivalent complete response rates, time to treatment failure,and survival. Here we report the long-term follow-up of the 236 patientsentered on that study to determine if there were any long-term advantages ordisadvantages associated with MACOP-B.
Patients and methods: Two hundred thirty-six eligible patients wererandomized between October 1986 and June 1991. The median duration offollow-up has been extended from 3.2 years in our previous publication to 6.5years.
Results: As previously reported, the complete response (CR) rate forMACOP-B and CHOP chemotherapy was 51% and 59%, respectively. Theestimated failure-free survival rate for MACOP-B and CHOP patients was42% and 30%, respectively, at 5 years (P = 0.045) and37% and 25%, respectively, at 8 years (P = 0.057). Theestimated overall survival rate at 5 years was 54% for MACOP-B and41% for CHOP patients (P = 0.035) and at 8 years was 45%and 36%, respectively (P = 0.16).
Conclusion: With this extended follow-up, we have shown a long-termsurvival advantage for MACOP-B chemotherapy over standard CHOP inpatients with intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.