Hodgkins disease

[Breast cancer after radiotherapy: Risk factors and suggestion for breast delineation as an organ at risk in the prepuberal girl]

Patients who survive a cancer occurring during childhood or young adulthood, treated with radiation, are at a very high risk of chronic sequelae and secondary tumours. To reduce this radioinduced morbidity and mortality, efforts are put on reducing the burden of the treatments and a long-term monitoring of these patients is progressively organized. We present a general review of the literature about the risk factors for developing a secondary breast cancer, which is the most frequent secondary tumour in this population. We suggest that contouring the prepubescent breast as an organ at risk may help predict the risk and reduce the dose to the breasts using modern radiotherapy techniques.

Survival and late effects in children with Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with MOPP/ABV and low-dose, extended-field irradiation

PURPOSE

Reduced-intensity protocols for pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma are aimed at preserving excellent relapse-free survival while decreasing the incidence of late effects.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the outcome of 123 children treated consecutively for Hodgkin's lymphoma at a single institution. Patients with stages I-IIIB disease received three cycles of mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP)/ doxorubicin, bleomycin, and vinblastine (ABV) followed by 15 Gy of extended-field irradiation, while those with stage IV disease were treated with six to eight cycles of MOPP/ABV chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up of 8.5 years (range, 1.4 to 15.5 years), the estimated 10-year overall survival and event-free survival are 94% (SE, 2.2%) and 88% (SE, 3.1%) respectively. There have been 12 treatment failures and six disease-related deaths. A very large mediastinal mass ( 50% of the maximal thoracic diameter) was associated with a 10-year event-free survival of 50% (SE, 14%) compared with 91% (SE, 4.0%) for smaller masses (P < .001). Late cardiopulmonary toxicity is largely absent, and the incidence of hypothyroidism is 14%. There have been no cases of secondary leukemia and four secondary solid malignancies observed to date.

CONCLUSION

MOPP/ABV and low-dose, extended-field radiotherapy is an effective treatment for pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma. With median follow-up of 8.5 years, late cardiopulmonary effects and secondary malignancies from this treatment regimen are infrequent. Continued longitudinal observations, particularly for breast cancer in female patients and gonadotoxicity, will determine whether the goal of decreasing treatment-related complications while maintaining excellent survival has been achieved.