title: Management of subdiaphragmatic early-stage Hodgkin's disease.
abstract: Twenty-six patients with Stage IA-IIB Hodgkin's disease confined below the diaphragm were treated at the Mayo Clinic over a 9-year period (1974-1982). Ten of the twenty-six patients presented with intra-abdominal disease alone, and the remaining 16 patients presented with palpable inguinal-femoral adenopathy. One hundred thirty patients with pathologically staged supradiaphragmatic disease were treated over the same period and serve as a comparison group. The median age of 52 years among patients with subdiaphragmatic disease was significantly higher than the median age of 27 years in supradiaphragmatic group. There was no difference in sex distribution between the two groups. One-fifth of the subdiaphragmatic patients presented with B symptoms compared to one-tenth in the supradiaphragmatic group. No significant histological differences were seen. The majority of patients were treated with radiation therapy alone. The overall failure rate was 42% in the subdiaphragmatic group versus 22% in patients with supradiaphragmatic disease. All of the failures occurred in patients treated with radiotherapy alone. Stage and the presence of B symptoms were the most important prognostic factors. The type of subdiaphragmatic presentation (intra-abdominal versus inguinal-femoral) did not influence the outcome. Despite decreased 5-year recurrence-free survival (57% subdiaphragmatic vs. 79% supradiaphragmatic, p = 0.03), the overall 5-year survival rate of 85% is comparable to that of patients with supradiaphragmatic disease. It appears that inverted Y irradiation alone is sufficient for patients with Stage IA disease, but that patients with B symptoms or Stage II disease require more aggressive initial therapy if recurrence-free survival is to be improved.
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Frassica
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schomberg
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Banks
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Colgan
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Ilstrup
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Earle
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis