ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The seven-factor International Prognostic Score (IPS) has been developed and verified for patients with advanced stage Hodgkin's disease (HD). This report aims to assess the predictive power of the IPS for early stage HD patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data on patient characteristics, therapy and follow-up were available for 1424 adult patients in clinical stages I-IIIA treated for primary HD in two German Hodgkin's Lymphoma Study Group (GHSG) trials (1988-1994). Patients with risk factors or in stage IIIA received chemo radiotherapy (CMT; trial HD5); others received extended field radiotherapy (RT) alone (HD4). The IPS could be calculated for 712 HD5 and 249 HD4 patients (70%). The prognostic value of the IPS and its component factors was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression. A search was made for additional factors which could add predictive power to the IPS. RESULTS: The IPS identified 40% of the unfavourable early stage patients with an 8% lower disease-free survival at six years (hazard ratio 1.66, P = 0.0018). The factor 'low albumin' was the only score component giving a significant individual contribution. Allowing for the IPS, extranodal involvement, particularly in stages IIB-IIIA, was associated with worse prognosis, but no further significantly prognostic factors were revealed. The IPS identified a similar hazard ratio in HD4, although here the effect was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The IPS for advanced HD has modest predictive ability in unfavourable early stage patients. Modification of the IPS for use with early stages may improve its prognostic power.
Subject(s)
Hodgkin Disease/pathology , Neoplasm Staging/methods , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Disease-Free Survival , Female , Hodgkin Disease/classification , Humans , International Cooperation , Male , Middle Aged , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Liver biopsy is an invasive diagnostic method for detecting liver involvement (LI) in Hodgkin's disease (HD). The aim of this retrospective study was to determine and evaluate a method for restricting liver biopsy to a subset of patients. Between 1988 and 1994, a total of 2,016 patients with HD were treated within the HD4-6 study protocol of the German Hodgkin's Lymphoma Study Group (GHSG). We investigated the predictive power of abdominal ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT), as well as of various clinical factors related to LI, using univariate and multivariate methods. LI occurred in 4.9% of all patients (99/2,016) and in 3.0% of those who, if LI were disregarded, would have been included in clinical stages I and II. In multivariate analysis the presence of LI was significantly associated with splenic involvement or infradiaphragmatic involvement, absence of mediastinal involvement, serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) level over 230 units/l, and age over 40 years. We used these factors to define a risk score for LI. LI is very rare in patients who would otherwise be in clinical stages I or II, but knowledge of LI is important because it has therapeutic consequences. With our risk score, liver biopsy is indicated for approximately one quarter of these patients otherwise in clinical stages I or II.
Subject(s)
Hodgkin Disease/pathology , Liver/pathology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Biopsy , Hodgkin Disease/diagnosis , Humans , Laparotomy , Middle AgedABSTRACT
PURPOSE: At present, treatment results for patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin's disease remain unsatisfactory. Standard chemotherapy M(C)OPP (nitrogen mustard (cyclophosphamide). vincristine, procabazine, and prednisone). ABVD (adriamycine, bleomycine, vinblastine, and dacarbacine) or M(C)OPP/ABVD +/- radiotherapy fail to achieve long-term complete remission in 35% to 50% of these patients. The BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, adriamycine, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) regimen was developed to improve treatment results by dose intensification achieved by reduced duration of treatment (time intensification) and addition of etoposide. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty untreated patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease stage IIB IV according to the Ann Arbor classification were treated with the time intensified BEACOPP regimen. Each patient was scheduled to receive eight cycles of chemotherapy with consolidating radiotherapy to sites of initial bulk disease and to residual tumor remaining after chemotherapy. RESULTS: All patients were evaluable for assessment of toxicity, treatment response, freedom from treatment failure (FFTF) and survival (SV). Of 30 treated patients, 29 patients received the intended eight cycles of BEACOPP. One patient in clinical CR, terminated the chemotherapy at his own request after six cycles and is at this time, 48 months after the end of treatment, in complete remission. Toxicity was tolerable with WHO grade 3/4 leucopenia in 28% of chemotherapy cycles and one severe (WHO grade 3) infection. No treatment-related death occurred. Cycles could generally be given on schedule. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in all but two patients (93%). At present, only one patient has relapsed. At a median follow-up of 40 months, FFTF-rate is 89% (lower confidence limit: 80%). One patient died due to progressive disease. CONCLUSION: The BEACOPP regimen is feasible at moderate hematopoeitic toxicity. With a FFTF-rate of 89% at a median follow-up of 40 months, the treatment results are very encouraging. A prospective randomised trial has been initiated to compare the BEACOPP regimen with the standard COPP/ABVD regimen in advanced-stage Hodgkin's disease.
