Subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease: the University of Florida experience.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the long-term outcomes and late effects of patients with subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease.


METHODS
Twenty-one patients with Stage I and II subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease were treated with curative intent between February 1966 and February 1998 at the University of Florida. Patient characteristics were as follows: mean age, 38.7 years (range, 3-75 years); 20 males and 1 female; 33% lymphocyte predominant, 43% nodular sclerosing, 14% mixed cellularity, 5% lymphocyte depletion, and 5% unclassified Hodgkin's disease. Treatment included inverted Y irradiation (InY) (8 patients), total nodal irradiation (TNI) (7 patients), and combined modality irradiation and chemotherapy (CMT) (6 patients). Median follow-up was 12.3 years (range, 3.1-33.6 years).


RESULTS
Progression-free survival and overall survival were 80% and 70%, respectively, at 10 years. There were no deaths from Hodgkin's disease. Treatment failures occurred in 1 of 8 patients after InY, 1 of 7 after TNI, and 1 of 6 after CMT. Two of 3 recurrences were in patients with 3 or more sites of involvement and/or splenic involvement; 1 was in-field. There were 5 second malignant neoplasms and 3 cardiac events, including 4 second malignant neoplasms and 2 cardiac events in the 9 patients > or =40 years old at diagnosis and 1 second malignant neoplasm and 1 cardiac event in the 12 patients <40 years old. All 3 second solid malignancies in this study occurred 7-14 years after treatment in areas receiving 10-20 Gy.


CONCLUSIONS
Subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease is an uncommon manifestation with excellent disease control achieved with InY, TNI, and CMT. This subgroup of patients with Hodgkin's disease is predominantly male and older than subgroups with other presentations, which may predispose the group to a higher risk for serious adverse events after treatment. We recommend InY with spleen for clinical Stages IA and nodular sclerosis or lymphocyte-predominant clinical Stage IIA, InY alone for pathologic Stages IA and IIA, and CMT for all Stage I/II patients with greater than three involved sites, B symptoms, bulky disease (>6 cm), central (para-aortic) presentation, or splenic involvement.
Hull
Matthew C
MC
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Mendenhall
Nancy Price
NP
Colgan
Mark E
ME
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003964:Diaphragm; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D007264:Inguinal Canal; D008297:Male; D008466:Mechlorethamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011344:Procarbazine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
D011344:Procarbazine; D008466:Mechlorethamine; D014750:Vincristine; D011241:Prednisone