RESUMEN
PURPOSE: We conducted this study to determine the efficacy of conventional treatments for patients with Hodgkin's disease and identify the patients who have poor prognosis and need high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between Jun. 1989 and Dec. 1997, 50 patients were enrolled and 39 patients were evaluable. Patients were treated with radiotherapy (5 patients) or combination chemotherapy (21 patients) or combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy (13 patients) according to their disease stage. Chemotherapy regimens were C-MOPP (cyclo- phosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone), MOPP (mechlorethamine, vin- cristine, procarbazine, and prednisone), ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine), alternating C-MOPP/ABVD, and MOPP/ABV hybrid. Radiation therapy was performed when there was residual tumor after chemotherapy or bulky disease. The response to treatments was analyzed by clinical stage I-II and stage III-IV patients group, respectively. RESULTS: The complete response rate was 76.9% for total patients, 83.3% for stage I-II patients, and 71.4% for stage III-IV patients. Of the 30 patients achieving complete response, four (13.3%) relapsed at 6, 12, 22, and 28 months after complete response, respectively. The median follow-up duration was 24 months. Nine patients died. Four patients died of Hodgkins disease. Three-year overall survival rate was 72.9% for total patients, 72.5% for stage I-II patients, and 70% for stage III-IV patients. Two-year disease- free survival rate was 77.6% for total patients, 79% for stage I-II stage patients, and 73.9% for stage III-IV patients. The prognostic factor analysis showed that performance status affected the disease-free survival rate. CONCLUSION: Conventional treatments in patients with Hodgkins disease showed results comparable to previous studies. But we were unable to identify the patients, who need high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, because of small number of study patients and short follow up duration.