Positron Emission Tomography Guided Therapy of Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas

Patients with a persistently positive interim-PET scan assigned to arm B1 will receive another six cycles of the (R-)CHOP regimen (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicine, vincristine, prednisone).

Patients with a persistently positive interim-PET scan assigned to arm B2 will receive six blocks of the B-ALL protocol (rituximab, methotrexate, ifosfamide, etoposide, cytarabine, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicine, vindesine, dexamethasone).

Patients with a negative interim-PET scan assigned to arm A1 will receive another four cycles of the (R-)CHOP regimen (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicine, vincristine, prednisone). Arm A1 was closed when the number of patients required for the randomisation between arms A1 and A2 was reached.

Patients with a negative interim-PET scan assigned to arm A2 will receive another four cycles of the (R-)CHOP regimen (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicine, vincristine, prednisone) plus two additional doses rituximab. Since the number of patients required for the randomisation between arms A1 and A2 has been reached, all patients with a negative interim-PET scan are treated according to arm A2.