title: Treatment outcome after low intensity chemotherapy [CVP] in children and adolescents with early stage nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's lymphoma - an Anglo-French collaborative report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether three cycles of a low-intensity chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide [500 mg/m(2) - day 1], vinblastine [6 mg/m(2) - days 1 and 8] and prednisolone [40 mg/m(2) - days 1-7] (CVP) is safe and therapeutically effective in children and adolescents with early stage nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma [nLPHL].
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-five children and adolescents with early stage nLPHL [median age 13 years, range 4-17 years] diagnosed between June 2005 and October 2010 in the UK and France are the subjects of this report. Staging investigations included conventional cross sectional as well as 18 fluro-deoxyglucose [FDG] PET imaging. Histology was confirmed as nLPHL by an expert pathology panel.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 45 patients, who received CVP as first line treatment, 36 [80%, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: (68; 92)] either achieved a complete remission [CR] or CR unconfirmed [CRu], the remaining nine patients achieved a partial response. All nine subsequently achieved CR with salvage chemotherapy [n=7] or radiotherapy [n=2]. Ten patients received CVP at relapse after primary treatment that consisted of surgery alone and all achieved CR. To date, only three patients have relapsed after CVP chemotherapy and all had received CVP as first line treatment at initial diagnosis. The 40-month freedom from treatment failure and overall survival for the entire cohort were 75.4% (SE ± 6%) and 100%, respectively. No significant early toxicity was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that CVP is an effective chemotherapy regimen in children and adolescents with early stage nLPHL that is well tolerated with minimal acute toxicity.
authors.affiliation: University College Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK. ananth.shankar@nhs.net
authors.forename: Ananth
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shankar
authors.forename: Georgina W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gorde-Grosjean
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hasenclever
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leblanc
authors.forename: Janis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayward
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lambilliotte
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daw
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Perel
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: Odile
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lejars
authors.forename: Aurore
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coulomb
authors.forename: W Odile
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Oberlin
authors.forename: W Hamish
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Landman-Parker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014747:Vinblastine; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011239:Prednisolone