title: Treating Adults with Hodgkin Lymphoma in the Developing World: a Hospital-Based Cohort Study from Armenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With advances in diagnostics and treatment approaches, patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in developed countries can nowadays expect to have excellent outcomes. However, information about the characteristics and outcomes in the developing world is very scarce, and this is important given the fact that there are several reports about differences of disease characteristics depending on geographic location and the development level of the country.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study we assessed the features of 36 adult (≥18 years old) patients with HL and their diagnosis and treatment and outcomes in the Clinic of Chemotherapy of Muratsan University Hospital of Yerevan State Medical University, Armenia, between 2008- 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients had classic HL and among them 19 (53%) had nodular sclerosis subtype, 8 (22%) mixed cellularity and 9 (25%) lymphocyte-rich. 16 (44.5%) patients were at stage II, 13 (36%) stage III and 7 (19.5%) stage IV. Median follow-up time was 24.5 months (range 1-71 months) and during the whole follow- up period only two relapses (early) were documented and there were no deaths. Twenty-three (64%) patients received a BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) regimen, and 13 (36%) ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) regimen. A total of 25 (69.5%) patients received radiation in addition to chemotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the number of patients involved in the study is small and the median follow-up time was just two years, this retrospective study shows that treatment of HL can be successfully organized in a resource-limited setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Yerevan State Medical University and Clinic of Chemotherapy, Muratsan University Hospital, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan, Armenia E-mail : gevorgtamamyan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Armen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avagyan
authors.forename: Samvel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Danielyan
authors.forename: Astghik
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Voskanyan
authors.forename: Lilit
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sargsyan
authors.forename: Lusine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hakobyan
authors.forename: Davit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zohrabyan
authors.forename: Liana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Safaryan
authors.forename: Lilit
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harutyunyan
authors.forename: Samvel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bardakchyan
authors.forename: Samvel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iskanyan
authors.forename: Samvel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arakelyan
authors.forename: Gevorg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tamamyan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001136:Armenia; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019049:Developed Countries; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005047:Etoposide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011344:Procarbazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D011344:Procarbazine; D014750:Vincristine; D014747:Vinblastine; D005047:Etoposide; D003606:Dacarbazine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011241:Prednisone