Clinical characteristics and outcome of pediatric patients with stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma.
OBJECTIVE
While treatment outcomes for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) have improved remarkably, patients with disseminated disease still have a poorer outcome. Stage IV HL is often reported with other 'advanced stage' categories, confusing the specific contribution of disease dissemination to the outcome. This single-institution report looks at characteristics and outcomes of this specific category.


METHODS
The medical records of pediatric HL patients (< 14 years) from 1975 through 2003 were retrospectively reviewed and the data analyzed.


RESULTS
Stage IV patients (n = 67) had more poor-risk characteristics than patients in stages I-III (n = 300) (B symptoms 86.6% vs. 19.3%, bulky disease 57.6% vs. 45.5% and mediastinal mass 77.6% vs. 29.7%; P < .001 for all characteristics). The liver was the most common extralymphatic site (in 51.5% of patients with stage IV disease. Stage IV patients received chemotherapy (CT) alone (n = 55) or combined modality therapy (CMT) (n = 12). Fifty-four patients (80.6%) achieved complete remission, 2 (3%) partial remission, 10 (14.9%) had progressive disease and 1 was lost to follow up. Overall survival was 79.4% and event-free survival (EFS) was 63.9% at 5 years. There was a non-significant benefit for CMT (OS = 91.7% v. 77.1%, P = .3; EFS = 70.7% v. 62.7%, P = .3). Ten of 12 relapsed and only 1 of 10 progressive disease patients were salvaged. On multivariate analysis, failure to achieve complete remission with CT was associated with a poorer outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Stage IV disease is associated with poor risk features and confers a worse outcome than stage I-III disease. Achievement of complete remission with CT is an important prognostic feature. Slow responders may require novel and/or aggressive therapy to achieve complete remission.
Belgaumi
Asim
A
Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. belgaumi@kfshrc.edu.sa
Al-Kofide
Amani A
AA
Khafaga
Yasser
Y
Joseph
Nicey
N
Jamil-Malik
Rubina
R
Siddiqui
Khawar S
KS
Sabbah
Rajeh S
RS
D000293:Adolescent; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011878:Radiotherapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents