Outcome of children with resistant and relapsed Hodgkin's disease.
During the period 1974-89, 169 children with Hodgkin's disease were treated in the Paediatric Oncology Units of the Royal Marsden and St Bartholomew's Hospitals. The overall actuarial survival for the whole group was 81% at 10 years. Thirty-five of the 169 children either did not achieve a complete remission or subsequently relapsed. The estimated actuarial survival from initial relapse or failure of primary treatment was 60% at 5 years and 45% at 10 years. Over half of the patients requiring salvage therapy had declared themselves within 2 years and only 3 relapses occurred more than 3 years from diagnosis. Very few patients remain disease free long term after failure of primary and initial salvage therapy. Patients relapsing within a year of diagnosis or not achieving a complete response to primary therapy and those with disseminated relapse had a poor response to salvage therapy. A significant subgroup of patients had prolonged survival despite multiple relapses. Neither initial histology nor stage affected survival from relapse although numbers in each subgroup were small.
James
N D
ND
Department of Paediatric Oncology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, West Smithfield, London, UK.
Kingston
J E
JE
Plowman
P N
PN
Meller
S
S
Pinkerton
R
R
Barrett
A
A
Sandland
R
R
McElwain
T J
TJ
Malpas
J S
JS
D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D016896:Treatment Outcome