Combined treatment modalities for advanced Hodgkin's disease: a ten years follow-up

ABSTRACT

Twenty patients [Pt] with advanced Hodgkin's disease were treated by combination chemotherapy [MOP-BAP] Nitrogen mustard 6 mg/m2 i.v. day 1, vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 i.v. days 1 and 8, procarbazin 100 mg/m2 o. days 2-7, and 9-12 with prednisone 40 mg/m2 cycle one and four, adriamycin 30 mg/m2 i.v. day 8 and bleomycin 2 mg/m2 i.v. days 1 and 8. All patients received 6 cycles as induction therapy. Patients in PR received low dose of radiation 20-25 Gy to involved fields. The age ranged between 20-64 years [mean 34.4 years]. Clinical stages were IIIA [6], IIIB [6], IVB [8]. Most of the patients had bulky disease [75%], and 85% had more than three sites of involvement by the disease. Pathological types Mixed cellularity [11], nodular sclerosis [5] and lymphocytic predominance [4 patients]. According to the study protocol 6 patients in PR had received involved field radiotherapy, four of them had achieved complete remission, two patients had increased disease and death. Ten of the study group [56%] are still alive after 121 months of initial therapy, toxicity was observed with radiotherapy