title: Onset risk factors and treatment response features of refractory hodgkin lymphoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The International Prognostic Factors Project on Advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) developed a seven factor prognostic score consisting of gender, age, stage, serum albumin, hemoglobin, leukocytosis and lymphocytopenia for the newly diagnosed Hodgkin disease patients in advanced stages, who receive chemotherapy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine whether this prognostic score would also be useful for refractory Hodgkin lymphoma patients in monitoring response to treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the period 2000-2012, we performed a study on a group of 91 patients to show that the prognostic factors identified by the International Prognostic Factors (IPF) score affect the event- free survival (EFS) and the overall survival (OS). Our study also intends to show that the results of these factors change with the treatment response in patients with HL included in the category of patients with refractory disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  B symptoms, onset lymph node, more than 3 areas involved, bulky disease, extranodal involvement, low serum albumin, erythrocytes sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and anemia were associated with poorer EFS and OS. Male gender, stage, histological type, age (>45 years) and leukocytosis were not associated with significantly poorer outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the prognostic score for advanced disease is also useful in predicting relapse in patients with HL and early detection of response in patients with refractory HL.
authors.affiliation: "Carol Davila "University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Oana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Stanca
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Coltea Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Anca Mariana
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ciobanu
authors.affiliation: "Carol Davila "University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Anca Roxana
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lupu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Coltea Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghimici
authors.affiliation: "Carol Davila "University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Triantafyllidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Coltea Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colita
authors.affiliation: "Carol Davila "University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Ileana Delia
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Mut
keywords: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL); prognostic factors; response to treatment