The present: optimizing therapy--too much or too little?

Intermediate stage Hodgkin lymphoma in partial remission after three or four courses of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine dacarbazine: no benefit of one course of intensive chemotherapy before irradiation

The H97-I trial (1997-2004) for Hodgkin lymphoma at intermediate stage (HL-I) included 269 patients who were randomized to receive three or four cycles of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD). The 197 patients who reached complete remission (CR) (73.2%, p = 0.41 between arms) received radiotherapy (RT); their 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 87.7 ± 3.0%, similar to that of the 180 patients of a historical control group (HCG) in CR after three ABVD cycles before RT. The 59 patients who reached post-ABVD partial remission (PR) received one course of intensive chemotherapy (i.v., mg/m(2), vindesine 5, adriamycin 90, BCNU 140, etoposide 600, methylprednisolone 600) before RT. In spite of this additional intensive chemotherapy, their PFS rate (78.4 ± 6.3%) remained significantly lower (p = 0.03) than that of the 197 patients who reached post-ABVD CR, and was similar to that of the 60 patients of the HCG in PR after three ABVD cycles who did not receive additional chemotherapy before RT.

Early interim 18F-FDG PET in Hodgkin's lymphoma: evaluation on 304 patients

PURPOSE

The use of early (interim) PET restaging during first-line therapy of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in clinical practice has considerably increased because of its ability to provide early recognition of treatment failure allowing patients to be transferred to more intensive treatment regimens.

METHODS

Between June 1997 and June 2009, 304 patients with newly diagnosed HL (147 early stage and 157 advanced stage) were treated with the ABVD regimen at two Italian institutions. Patients underwent PET staging and restaging at baseline, after two cycles of therapy and at the end of the treatment.

RESULTS

Of the 304 patients, 53 showed a positive interim PET scan and of these only 13 (24.5%) achieved continuous complete remission (CCR), whereas 251 patients showed a negative PET scan and of these 231 (92%) achieved CCR. Comparison between interim PET-positive and interim PET-negative patients indicated a significant association between PET findings and 9-year progression-free survival and 9-year overall survival, with a median follow-up of 31 months. Among the early-stage patients, 19 had a positive interim PET scan and only 4 (21%) achieved CCR; among the 128 patients with a negative interim PET scan, 122 (97.6%) achieved CCR. Among the advanced-stage patients, 34 showed a persistently positive PET scan with only 9 (26.4%) achieving CCR, whereas 123 showed a negative interim PET scan with 109 (88.6%) achieving CCR.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate the role of an early PET scan as a significant step forward in the management of patients with early-stage or advanced-stage HL.