title: Prognosis of high dose chemotherapy/autologous bone marrow transplantation candidates not receiving this treatment after failure of primary therapy of Hodgkin's disease.
abstract: In a multicenter study on the therapy of Hodgkin's disease, in 88 out of 297 patients with primary advanced stages IIIB/IV, a failure to the treatment with the alternating chemotherapy COPP/ABVD +/- radiation was recorded. The cause of failure was as follows: tumor progression under current therapy (PD) 23/88, partial response at the end of therapy (PR) 28/88, early nodal relapses 13/88, late nodal relapses 16/88, extranodal relapses 7/88, undetermined localization 1/88.36 months after manifestation of the failure to treatment, 45% of all patients were still alive. In cases of primary PD the prognosis was the worst of all. Only 1/23 of these patients received a long-term continuous complete remission (cCR) with the salvage therapy. 11 patients with only a nodal relapse received a cCR with irradiation alone. These cases could be regarded as low risk relapses. For the high risk relapse group (n = 57) an indication for high dose chemotherapy with subsequent autologous bone marrow transplantation (HDC/ABMT) would have been imperative, following the present-day definition. The probability of survival of these patients who, however, only received a conventional salvage therapy was up to 38% (95% confidence interval 22-54%). Comparing these data with the literature our results seem not to be substantially worse than those for patients who underwent HDC/ABMT. Only in a randomized comparison can the decision be made on whether HDC/ABMT would be superior to high dose conventional chemotherapy supported by hematopoietic growth factors. It is suggested that such a therapy study be performed as soon as possible.
authors.affiliation: Klinik I für Innere Medizin, Universität zu Köln, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Löffler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pfreundschuh
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dölken
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gerhartz
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hagen-Aukamp
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hiller
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petsch
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Pflüger
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Rühl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D008130:Lomustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011344:Procarbazine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012074:Remission Induction; D012307:Risk Factors; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014747:Vinblastine; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014751:Vindesine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D011344:Procarbazine; D014750:Vincristine; D014747:Vinblastine; D005047:Etoposide; D008130:Lomustine; D003606:Dacarbazine; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D014751:Vindesine; D011241:Prednisone