Treatment of favorable, limited-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma with chemotherapy without consolidation by radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: Limited-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) has been treated with radiation alone or radiation combined with chemotherapy. Although results in progression-free survival and overall survival have been excellent, the long-term, radiation-induced, toxic cardiac and secondary oncologic complications occurring in succeeding decades have compromised survival of young patients. This study examines the impact of chemotherapy alone in treatment of limited-stage, nonbulky HL, radiation therapy eliminated from primary treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1992 to May 2008, 71 patients with a median age of 29 years (range, 17-44 years) with stages I and II HL without bulky nodes were treated with six cycles of classic combination doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD). Two patients received six cycles of ABVD-like modification. Two patients received four cycles of ABVD. The ABVD regimen was known to be curative in more advanced disease without radiation therapy.

RESULTS: All patients achieved a clinical complete response (CR) or CR unconfirmed. After a median follow-up of at least 60 months (range, at least 12 to at least 204 months), six patients experienced relapse at 6, 10, 11, 16, 20, and 58 months. All relapses occurred at site of presenting disease. No patients have died. Salvage therapy was successful with second-line chemotherapy/radiation and autologous stem-cell transplantation.

CONCLUSION: Six cycles of ABVD is an effective and safe treatment for limited-stage, nonbulky HL and would spare young patients radiation toxicity. Interim positron emission tomography/computed tomography scans in current and future trials may identify those patients who require less than six cycles of chemotherapy.