Hodgkin's disease in childhood: treatment modalities, outcome and epidemiological aspects. The Northern Israel Cancer Center experience.
OBJECTIVE
A retrospective analysis of Hodgkin's disease (HD) in children treated at the Northern Israel Cancer Center between 1971 and 1990 was conducted.


METHODS
Records of 102 patients < 18 years of age at diagnosis were reviewed. Patient characteristics were similar to those previously reported. There were 54 boys and 48 girls (1.1:1 boy:girl ratio), with more boys < 10 years of age. Forty-four patients were of Arab ancestry and 58 were Jewish; incidence rates were similar in both groups. The most common histological types were nodular sclerosing and mixed cellularity, the latter being more commonly diagnosed in the younger age group.


RESULTS
The outcome of various treatment modalities in childhood HD were evaluated. Sixty-five patients (64%) had stage I or II and 37 (34%) had stage III or IV at diagnosis. Patients with stage I-II received radiotherapy alone (20 patients), chemotherapy alone (10 patients), or a combined approach of chemotherapy plus radiotherapy (35 patients). Survival rates and median disease-free intervals were statistically similar in all three modalities. However, relapse rates were higher among patients receiving radiotherapy alone or chemotherapy alone (35% and 38%, respectively) compared with patients receiving chemotherapy plus radiotherapy (14%).


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that a combined approach of chemotherapy plus radiotherapy is advantageous over radiotherapy alone or chemotherapy alone.
Rosenthal
J
J
Pediatric Oncology Unit, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Ben Arush
M W
MW
Kuten
A
A
Ben Arie
J
J
Ben Shahar
M
M
Robinson
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome