title: Randomized comparison of consolidation radiation versus observation in bulky Hodgkin's lymphoma with post-chemotherapy negative positron emission tomography scans.
abstract: This study aimed at evaluating the role of consolidation radiation in a setting of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) patients, using event-free survival (EFS) as end point. Among 260 patients treated with induction chemotherapy for bulky HL, 160 patients achieved negative residual masses at 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scans. They were randomly divided into two well-matched groups to receive either 32 Gy radiotherapy to bulky area or no further therapy. At a median follow-up of 40 months, histology showed a malignancy in 14% of patients in the chemotherapy-only group (HL, 11 patients) and in 4% of patients in the chemotherapy + radiotherapy group (HL, 2 patients; carcinoma in previously irradiated area, 1 patient) (P = 0.03). All the relapses in the chemotherapy-only group involved the bulky site and the contiguous nodal regions. Thus, the overall diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET to exclude future relapses in the patients nonprotected by radiotherapy was 86% with a false-negative rate of 14%. Our study suggests that the addition of irradiation helps improve EFS in HL patients with post-chemotherapy FDG-PET-negative residual masses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University Medical School, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Picardi
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Renzo
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pane
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nicolai
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pacelli
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvatore
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rotoli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012008:Recurrence; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed