Improving the prognosis of pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma in developing countries: a Moroccan Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology study.

BACKGROUND: The event-free survival (EFS) of children with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) exceeds 80% in high income countries (HIC), but little is known about this rate in developing countries. PROCEDURE: A prospective national protocol for children with classical HL was implemented in Morocco to increase EFS by careful risk stratification, providing each cycle of therapy on time, decreasing treatment abandonment, improving communication among healthcare providers, and improving data collection. Patients were stratified into a favorable risk group (Ann Arbor stages I and II, no B symptoms, no bulky disease, and no contiguous (E) lesions) and received four cycles of vinblastine, doxorubicin, methotrexate, and prednisone (VAMP) or an unfavorable risk group (all others) who received two cycles of vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone, and doxorubicin (OPPA) and four cycles of cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (COPP). All patients received involved-field radiotherapy 25.5 Gy after completion of chemotherapy. EFS was calculated counting death, relapse/resistant disease, and abandonment as events. RESULTS: From February 2004 to December 2007, 160 patients enrolled; 138 (86%) had unfavorable risk features. Twenty patients (12.5%) abandoned treatment, 16 relapsed or had resistant disease, and 6 died (3 unexplained, 2 varicella, and 1 suicide). The estimated 5-year EFS was 70 ± 4% and overall survival 88 ± 3%. CONCLUSIONS: Good outcomes for pediatric HL patients can be achieved in LMIC using a multidisciplinary team approach, uniform protocol-based therapy, twinning partnership among oncology units in-country and abroad, and a data collection system to monitor compliance and identify gaps in care.

Brachytherapy boost in loco-regionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a prospective randomized trial of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

BACKGROUND: The purpose was to determine whether a brachytherapy boost improves outcomes in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with standard chemo-radiotherapy. METHODS: Patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma WHO grades I-III and TNM stages III or non-metastatic stage IV were eligible for this phase III study. Patients were randomized to either arm (A) induction chemotherapy, followed by external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with concomitant cisplatin (n = 139) or arm (B), the same schedule plus a brachytherapy boost to the nasopharynx (n = 135). The EBRT doses given were 70 Gy to the primary tumour and positive lymph nodes and 46 Gy to the negative neck. The additional brachytherapy boost in arm (B) was given by either low dose-rate (LDR - 11 Gy) or high dose-rate (HDR - 3 fractions of 3.0 Gy) brachytherapy. The primary endpoint was 3-year overall survival (OS) and secondary endpoints were: local control, regional control, distant metastasis and grade 3-4 adverse events. RESULTS: 274 patients were randomized between September 2004 and December 2008. The two arms were comparable with regard to age, gender, stage and grade. 273 patients completed treatment. Median follow-up was 29 months (0.2-67 months). The effect of treatment arm, country, age, gender, WHO pathology, stage (T3-4, N2-3 versus other) and chemotherapy on overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) was studied. Stage significantly affected OS (p = 0.024) and DFS (p = 0.018) while age significantly affected OS (p = 0.014). None of the other factors studied were significant. The 3-year LRFS was 60.5% and 54.4% in arms A and B respectively (p = 0.647). The 3-year regional control rate in the neck was 59.7% and 54.3% respectively (p = 0.7). Distant metastasis developed in 59.7% of patients in arm A and 55.4% in arm B (p = 0.377). Patients with T1/T2 N + had a 3 year LRFS of 51.8% in Arm A (62 patients) versus 57.9% in Arm B (67 patients) (p = 0.343). The grade 3-4 toxicity rate was 21.6% (30/139) and 24.4% (33/135) respectively (p = 0.687). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a brachytherapy boost to external beam radiotherapy and chemotherapy did not improve outcome in loco-regionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.