A Southwest Oncology Group: chemotherapy versus chemotherapy plus radiotherapy in treatment of stage III Hodgkin's disease.
The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) performed a randomized study (SWOG 7518, CAR 2) of chemotherapy using ten courses of nitrogen mustard, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP) plus low-dose bleomycin (LDB), versus three courses of combined therapy, MOPP + LDB plus radiotherapy (XRT) from October, 1974, to April 1980, in pathologic stage III Hodgkin's disease. The present report includes data on 136 registered patients, of whom 112 are fully or partially evaluable. At this preliminary analysis, complete remission rates are 82% for chemotherapy alone and 82% for combined treatment. There are no statistically significant differences in survival or relapse-free survival between the two treatment programs, and no specific trends for stage IIIA versus IIIB. The estimated 3-year survival rate for all patients was 82%. Toxicities are comparable when considering the highest grades. There was one case of acute myeloblastic leukemia on combined treatment. Preliminary evidence suggests that patients with nodular sclerosis histologic type are more likely to relapse on chemotherapy alone than on combined treatment.
D001761:Bleomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D008466:Mechlorethamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011344:Procarbazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use
D001761:Bleomycin; D011344:Procarbazine; D008466:Mechlorethamine; D014750:Vincristine; D011241:Prednisone