From June 1989 through to November 1998, 121 children with newly diagnosed T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) were included in the EORTC 58881 trial conducted by the Children's Leukaemia Group. The therapy regimen was based on a Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster protocol, for a total duration of 24 months. Cranial irradiation, prophylactic cranial and local, was omitted, even for patients with central nervous involvement at diagnosis. In total, 119 patients were evaluable. The median follow-up was 6.7 years. The overall event-free survival (EFS) rate at 6 years was 77.5% (standard error (SE)=4%). Median time of relapse was 1 year after complete remission (range 0.2-5.9 years). Only two (1.8%) patients had an isolated central nervous system relapse. For patients with complete response (n=16) to the 7-day prephase, the EFS rate at 6 years was 100% versus 14% (P<0.001) for patients with no response (n=7). Overall survival rate at 6 years was 86% (SE=3%). An intensive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia type chemotherapy regimen without irradiation leads to a high cure and survival rate in childhood T-LBL without an increased CNS recurrence. This suggests that prophylactic cranial irradiation can safely be omitted. Response to the prephase appeared to be a strong prognostic factor for EFS.