The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) used clinical criteria in 1976 for classifying a patient's response to therapy against non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma. The authors are from multiple institutions in the United States.
Category of response:
(1) complete response
(2) partial response
(3) no response
(4) increasing disease
Category
Features
complete response
all areas of initial involvement free of disease, AND
no evidence of new sites of involvement, AND
no symptoms ascribable to the disease
partial response
>= 50% decrease in the area of all measurable lesions but still present, OR
clinical symptoms ascribable to disease still present
no response
< 50% decrease or increase in the area of all measurable lesions without appearance of new lesions
increasing disease (progressive)
>= 50% increase in the area of all measurable lesions, OR
appearance of new lesions
where:
• Area of involvement is based on evaluation of X-rays, diagnostic scans, bone marrow biopsies and tissue biopsies.
• I am including < 50% increase in the area of all measurable lesions as "no response" in the implementation. This might be suitable for another category.
• I am not sure if or how the percentage change in clinical symptoms ascribable to disease impacts "no response" or "increasing disease". It appears as if these are dependent only on change in bulk of disease.
• The criteria refer to chemotherapy but the categories would seem to apply equally well to radiation or combination therapies.
• According to Arcaini et al (Cancer 2004; 100: 107-115) progressive disease includes a shift to a more aggressive histologic pattern.
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