BEACOPP and COPP/ABVD as salvage treatment after primary extended field radiation therapy of early stage Hodgkins disease – Results of the German Hodgkin Study Group

Relapse After Early-Stage, Favorable Hodgkin Lymphoma: Disease Characteristics and Outcomes With Conventional or High-Dose Chemotherapy

PURPOSE

We evaluated disease and treatment characteristics of patients with relapse after risk-adapted first-line treatment of early-stage, favorable, classic Hodgkin lymphoma (ES-HL). We compared second-line therapy with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) or conventional chemotherapy (CTx).

METHODS

We analyzed patients with relapse after ES-HL treated within the German Hodgkin Study Group HD10+HD13 trials. We compared, by Cox proportional hazards regression, progression-free survival (PFS) after relapse (second PFS) treated with either ASCT or CTx and performed sensitivity analyses with overall survival (OS) from relapse and Kaplan-Meier statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 174 patients' disease relapsed after treatment in the HD10 (n = 53) and HD13 (n = 121) trials. Relapse mostly occurred > 12 months after first diagnosis, predominantly with stage I-II disease. Of 172 patients with known second-line therapy, 85 received CTx (49%); 70, ASCT (41%); 11, radiotherapy only (6%); and 4, palliative single agent therapies (2%). CTx was predominantly bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPP [68%]), followed by the combination regimen of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (19%), or other regimens (13%). Patients aged > 60 years at relapse had shorter second PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 3.0; P = .0029) and were mostly treated with CTx (n = 33 of 49; 67%) and rarely with ASCT (n = 8; 16%). After adjustment for age and a disadvantage of ASCT after the more historic HD10 trial, we did not observe a significant difference in the efficacy of CTx versus ASCT for second PFS (HR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.3 to 1.6; P = .39). In patients in the HD13 trial who were aged ≤ 60 years, the 2-year, second PFS rate was 94.0% with CTx (95% CI, 85.7% to 100%) versus 83.3% with ASCT (95% CI, 71.8% to 94.8%). Additional sensitivity analyses including OS confirmed these observations.

CONCLUSION

After contemporary treatment of ES-HL, relapse mostly occurred > 12 months after first diagnosis. Polychemotherapy regimens such as BEACOPP are frequently administered and may constitute a reasonable treatment option for selected patients with relapse after ES-HL.

Hodgkin's lymphoma in adults: diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

BACKGROUND

With an incidence of 2 to 3 cases per 100 000 persons per year, Hodkgin's lymphoma (HL) is rare, but nonetheless one of the most common cancers in young adults. Improved treatment has made HL curable even in advanced stages, but controversy still surrounds a number of issues in patient care. Current research focuses on the avoidance of long-term adverse effects and secondary malignancies.

METHODS

We selectively searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and the Guideline International Network for publications about HL. Two experts independently screened the retrieved publications for pertinence and extracted data from potentially relevant meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and cohort studies into evidence tables.

RESULTS

32 key questions were answered with 160 recommendations on the basis of evidence from 43 RCTs, 21 meta-analyses, and 119 cohort studies. Patients in an early stage of HL should be treated with two cycles of ABVD followed by involved-field radiotherapy (IF-RT) at a dose of 20 Gy (5-year overall survival [OS]: 94%). Patients in an intermediate (early unfavorable) stage should be treated with two cycles of BEACOPP escalated followed by two cycles of ABVD and 30 Gy IF-RT (5-year OS: 97.2%). Patients in an advanced stage should be treated with six cycles of BEACOPP escalated, and the decision whether this should be followed by consolidating radiotherapy (30 Gy) should be based on the findings of positron-emission tomography (radiate in case of PET-positive residual tumor; 5-year OS: 95.3%). Depending on the treatment regimen, there may be adverse effects including infection, leukopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, secondary neoplasia, and fertility disorders.

CONCLUSION

Most questions in the treatment of HL can now be answered on the basis of sufficient evidence from the literature. This holds in particular for the potential benefit to be gained from PET, follow-up care, and lifestyle recommendations for patients.

Reappraisal of the use of procarbazine in the treatment of lymphomas and brain tumors

Procarbazine HCl is a 'nonclassical' oral alkylating anticancer agent that was first synthesized in the late 1950s. It has been used in the treatment of many cancers, but its main use is in the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma and brain tumors and, to a lesser extent, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and primary central nervous system lymphoma. Procarbazine is a prodrug that undergoes metabolic transformation into active intermediates that are thought to inhibit DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis. Early use of procarbazine in combination with mechlorethamine, vincristine, and prednisone (MOPP) was effective in the treatment of advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma, but late toxic effects such as secondary cancer and infertility led to its replacement by other regimens. However, its recent reintroduction in the dose-intensified BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) regimen has yielded very promising findings. Procarbazine alone, or more commonly combined in the PCV (procarbazine, lomustine [CCNU], and vincristine) regimen, is also effective in treating gliomas comprising astrocytomas, glioblastomas, and oligodendrogliomas. The most common side effects of procarbazine are gastrointestinal disturbances, myelosuppression, and central nervous system effects. In conclusion, the use of procarbazine in combination with other drugs means that it remains a major anticancer drug in the management of Hodgkin's lymphoma and gliomas.

Standard therapy of advanced Hodgkin lymphoma

ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) continues to be the standard of care for patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Consolidation of primary chemotherapy with radiation or autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has not demonstrated an improvement in overall survival in randomized controlled trials. Regimens such as escalated BEACOPP have more acute and late toxicities and survival benefits have yet to be confirmed.

Despite effective therapy, ultimately 30% to 40% of patients with advanced HL will relapse. ASCT has become the standard of care for patients with relapsed or refractory HL based on two randomized trials. The optimal salvage chemotherapy and high dose therapy regimen are not known. Similarly, non-ASCT strategies including salvage radiotherapy or non-ASCT chemotherapy strategies have been reported and have a potential role in selected clinical scenarios.

This review summarizes recent clinical trial results in the initial treatment of advanced HL and will focus on second-line treatment strategies for patients with relapsed or refractory disease.

Clinical characteristics and treatment response of Hodgkin's lymphoma in Taiwan

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is particularly rare in Asia, including Taiwan. The report concerning its clinical features and treatment outcomes in Asians is limited. An exploration of the characteristics of HL in this area is of importance for future studies.

METHODS

In this study, 133 patients with HL diagnosed between January 1985 and December 2004 at National Taiwan University Hospital were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

The age distribution revealed a young-adult peak at the age around 20 years. The nodular sclerosis type (NS-HL) was the most common histopathologic subtype (45%), followed by mixed cellularity (29%), lymphocyte predominant (13%), and lymphocyte depleted subtype (2%). The incidence of NS-HL was, however, lower compared with that in the West (around 70%). The male to female ratio was approximately 1:2 in patients with NS-HL, in contrast to the male predominance in patients with other subtypes. Induction therapy led to complete remission (CR) in 87% of patients. At a median follow-up of 78 months, the 10-year overall survival (OS) was 79% in all HL patients and was 90% in those who achieved first CR. In multivariate analysis, the achievement of CR was the only independent factor associated with good OS.

CONCLUSION

The treatment response of HL in Taiwan is good and comparable to that in Western countries. The epidemiologic differences between Taiwan and the West mandate further studies.

Outcome of patients experiencing progression or relapse after primary treatment with two cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for early-stage favorable Hodgkin's lymphoma

PURPOSE

To evaluate treatment outcome of patients with early-stage favorable Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) who experience disease relapse after primary treatment with two cycles of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (RT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Of 1,129 patients with early-stage favorable HL enrolled onto the HD7/HD10/HD13 trials of the German Hodgkin Study Group, 42 patients were identified with treatment failure, of whom eight had primary progressive disease, seven had early relapse (< or = 12 months), and 27 had late relapse (> 12 months). We analyzed this group of patients for risk factors, salvage therapy, and treatment outcome.

RESULTS

The median age was 41 years (range, 19 to 72 years); 24 patients were male, 15 patients had outfield relapse, 13 patients infield relapse, and nine patients outfield and infield relapse. At relapse, 24 patients were treated with conventional salvage chemotherapy, 14 patients were treated with high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation, and four patients were treated with RT alone. At 36 months median follow-up, freedom from second treatment failure (FF2F) and overall survival (OS) were 52% and 67%, respectively. According to the prognostic score for relapsed HL (duration of first remission, clinical stage, and anemia at relapse), patients with two or three poor prognostic features had a significantly worse outcome compared with patients with none or one of these factors (P < .05 for FF2F and OS).

CONCLUSION

Relapse after primary treatment with two cycles of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine followed by RT is rare. In our analysis, results were influenced by a high treatment-related mortality rate. Additional studies are needed to define the optimal salvage therapy.