Hodgkin's lymphoma. II: Treatment and delayed morbidity

Second lethal events associated with treatment for Hodgkin's disease: a review of 2980 patients treated in a single Mexican institute

Presence of second neoplasms and cardiac toxicity has been recognized as potential late lethal second events in patients treated for Hodgkin's disease. However, most reports analyze these association independently. We reviewed 2980 cases of patients treated during 1970-1995 with long-term follow-up (> 4 years) in an attempt to identify all late events in Hodgkin's disease secondary to the treatment or those which are unrelated. Three hundred and ten patients died, and of these 156 were secondary to relapse and tumor progression. Death associated second tumors and cardiac events were increased 37 fold and 29 fold respectively compared to the general population. The risk factors for this complications did not differ to previous reports and included alkylating agents and/or radiotherapy for second neoplasms and anthracycline therapy and radiotherapy for cardiac toxicity. Moreover, 61 patients died secondary to non-related events. Nevertheless, at 20-years overall survival was 90 % (95 % confidence interval (CI): 78 % to 97 %) and event free survival was 88 % (95 % CI: 76 % to 96 %) for these patients. Thus, second events, fatal in most cases, should be considered as an expected risk to the treatment in patients with Hodgkin's disease; the proposed modifications of therapy may indeed be useful to avoid or diminish these complications in the future.

Radiotherapy: the last 25 years

Some of the major changes in radiotherapy over the last years are reviewed in this paper. Radiotherapy has played a role in the changes in oncological practice including an increase in organ-sparing treatment and achieving good local control and improving survival. About half of all breast cancer patients are now treated with breast conserving therapy. Organ preservation, usually with multimodality therapy, has also been further developed in the treatment of cancers in the head and neck, anus, bladder and soft tissue sarcomas. Developments in radiobiology have led to the development of new fractionation schedules. Hyperfractionation allows an increase in the tumour dose whilst sparing normal tissues and accelerated fractionation combats accelerated tumour proliferation during treatment. Advances in accelerator technology and computerized treatment planning have enabled the development of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy. This gives the oportunity to spare normal tissues and escalate the dose to the tumour. Quality control and standardization of dosimetry and treatment delivery at departmental and international level has also improved treatment results.

Hodgkin's disease in Army personnel 1977-1987

A retrospective review of all British Army patients presenting to the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital with a diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease between 1977 and 1987 was performed, with a minimum follow-up of 7 years. The results were similar to those reported in other (similar) series, and the changes in investigations and treatment observed during this period matched those occurring in wider clinical practice through close co-operation with a recognised Cancer Centre. Despite their comparative rarity, Army patients with Hodgkin's disease receive modern, effective treatment.

Results of a randomized study of early stage Hodgkin's disease using ABVD, EBVD, or MBVD

From January 1986 to December 1989, 157 previously untreated patients, with Hodgkin's disease stage I or II without bulky disease, were enrolled in a clinical comparative study. The objectives of the study were to compare the efficacy and safety of using epirubicine or mitoxantrone instead of adriamycin in the combination chemotherapy regimen ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine). The complete response rate was better in the patients treated with the ABVD or EBVD regimens compared to the MBVD arm. Also, differences in overall survival and relapse-free survival were better in the patients who received ABVD or EBVD compared to the MBVD regimen. Hematological, gastrointestinal and cardiac toxicity were similar in the three groups. Dose intensity, delays and complications were also similar in the three groups. The mitoxantrone-containing regimen was found to have less efficacy in comparison to the other regimens tested in the present study in patients with favorable stage I or II Hodgkin's disease.

Osteonecrosis following treatment for Hodgkin's disease

Osteonecrosis is usually considered to be a minor and rare late sequelae of treatment for Hodgkin's Disease (HD). However, over ten years six patients out of a total of 53 patients treated for HD at the haematology department of a district general hospital developed osteonecrosis, an incidence of 11.3%. Routine isotope bone scanning of patients produced two further asymptomatic cases. These results suggest a higher incidence than previously suspected of a problem which caused our patients considerable morbidity. Further measures are required to identify and adequately treat a significant cause of late morbidity following chemotherapy for HD.

Late cardiac toxicity of doxorubicin, epirubicin, and mitoxantrone therapy for Hodgkin's disease in adults

Cardiotoxicity is a well recognized side effect of anthracyclines (doxorubicin and epirubicin) or antracenadiones (mitoxantrone) at cumulative or high doses. However the side effects have not been evaluated in adults with Hodgkin's disease who received therapeutic doses of these drugs. We analyzed the cardiac function studying the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at rest in 136 patients with Hodgkin's disease treated with doxorubicin, epirubicin or mitoxantrone used in combination with vinblastine, bleomycin and decarbazine. No other risk factors, such as radiation therapy to the mediastinum, were considered. The follow-up is 5 to 8 years for patients in complete remission. Forty-five patients received doxorubicin (from 325 to 685 mg/m2, median 475 mg/m2), 51 patients received epirubicin (from 310 to 610 mg/m2, median 510 mg/m2) and 40 patients were treated with mitoxantrone (from 70 to 165, median 125 mg/m2). The median time between the end of treatment and the evaluation was 6.7 years. Thirty seven percent of the patients (similar rates in the three groups) showed abnormalities in the LVEF with decreased rates independent of the drug dosage. These were compared with two control groups, 46 patients treated with the MOPP combination (mechlorethamine, vincristine, prednisone and procarbazine) or LOPP (chlorambucil, for mechlorethamine) and 35 healthy volunteers. We believe that the use of anthracyclines or antracenadione will produce late cardiac effects in a fraction of patients independently of the doses used and that the indications for these drugs be carefully monitoring so as to evaluate the development of late side effects.