• Overall survival in patients treated with mitoxantrone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine, bleomycin, and prednisolone (PMitCEBO) versus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Failure-free survival, disease specific survival, relapse-free survival, death due to toxicity, response rate, and toxicity at 4 years [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the overall survival, failure free survival, disease specific survival, relapse free survival, and response rate in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with mitoxantrone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine, bleomycin, and prednisolone (PMitCEBO) versus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP).
• Compare the early and late toxicities of these regimens in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are randomized to one of two treatment arms.

• Arm I: Patients receive mitoxantrone IV, cyclophosphamide IV, and etoposide IV on day 1 and vincristine and bleomycin IV on day 8. Treatment continues every 14 days for a maximum of 8 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients also receive oral prednisolone daily on courses 1 and 2 and every other day beginning on course 3 and continuing until the end of treatment.
• Arm II: Patients receive cyclophosphamide IV, doxorubicin IV, and vincristine IV on day 1 and oral prednisolone on days 1-5. Treatment continues every 21 days for a maximum of 8 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Patients are followed at 4 weeks, then every 3 months for 1 year, every 6 months for 5 years, and then annually thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 310 patients (155 per arm) will be accrued for this study over 5 years.