An approach to classifying prognostic factors related to survival experience for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients: based on a series of 982 patients: 1967-1975.

The survival experience of 982 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients registered at Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, between 1967 and 1975, was studied. Prognostic groups were obtained by means of a classification procedure based on standard statistical techniques; the variables utilized in the classification were ones of known reproducibility which could be measured with little inconvenience to the patient. The results show that these prognostic groups give better information than the Ann Arbor staging classification in the sense that the survival curves are clearly separated and "good prognosis" and "poor prognosis" groups are clearly identified. Implications for therapy planning are briefly discussed.