Accelerated hyperfractionated total-lymphoid irradiation, high-dose chemotherapy, and autologous bone marrow transplantation for refractory and relapsing patients with Hodgkin's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility and therapeutic effect of accelerated hyperfractionated total-lymphoid irradiation (TLI), high-dose chemotherapy, and autologous bone marrow transplantation (AuBMT) in patients with relapsing or chemotherapy-resistant Hodgkin's disease (HD).


METHODS
Forty-seven patients with HD who either relapsed after chemotherapy (n = 19), or failed to respond (n = 28) to at least two regimens of combination chemotherapy were studied. No patient received prior radiation therapy (RT). Treatment started with reinduction with standard-dose chemotherapy, followed by involved-field irradiation (15 Gy) to areas of relapsed or persistent disease and TLI (20.04 Gy given in 1.67 Gy fractions three times per day for 4 days). Subsequently, patients received etoposide and high-dose cyclophosphamide, followed by infusion of unpurged autologous bone marrow. All surviving patients had a minimum follow-up duration of 1 year. The median follow-up duration for survivors was 40+ months, and the maximum follow-up duration was 80+ months.


RESULTS
Of the 47 patients treated, eight (17%) died of toxicity during the peritransplant period. Twenty-nine of the remaining 39 assessable patients (74%) attained a complete response (CR), while 10 remained with residual disease and progressed early after AuBMT. Four of the CR patients (14%) relapsed and 25 patients remained alive and free of disease. The actuarial disease-free survival (DFS) rate for the entire group at 6.5 years was 50%. Patients who received the protocol for relapsing HD had a significantly better DFS rate (79%) compared with patients treated for continuous refractory disease (DFS, 33%; P < .03).


CONCLUSIONS
Previously unirradiated patients with relapsing or chemotherapy-resistant HD who have exhausted conventional chemotherapy may still respond to an aggressive therapeutic approach consisting of accelerated hyperfractionated TLI, high-dose chemotherapy, and AuBMT rescue. This program offers a potential for long-term DFS to approximately one half of patients who would otherwise have a dismal prognosis with standard-dose salvage therapy.
Yahalom
J
J
Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021.
Gulati
S C
SC
Toia
M
M
Maslak
P
P
McCarron
E G
EG
O'Brien
J P
JP
Portlock
C S
CS
Straus
D J
DJ
Phillips
J
J
Fuks
Z
Z
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015182:Lymphatic Irradiation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D015996:Survival Rate