Treatment of Stage I and II Hodgkin's Disease with NOVP (Mitoxantrone, Vincristine, Vinblastine, Prednisone) and Radiotherapy

Abstract

We investigated the effectiveness of a new treatment regimen termed NOVP in early Hodgkin's disease, which reportedly has lower toxicity. Thirty-four patients were treated with three cycles of NOVP (mitoxantrone, vinblastine, vincristine, prednisone) and radiotherapy, 40% of them had unfavourable prognostic factors. All patients obtained complete remission. With a median follow up of 5 years, the overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) was 95% (95% confidence interval [CI], 87 to 103) and 89% (95% CI, 78 to 100), respectively. The presence of either B symptoms or pulmonary hilar involvement was associated with a significant decrease in TTF (91% VS 50% p=0.003 and 92% VS 30% p=0.02, respectively) but do not correlate with OS. The tolerance to NOVP was excellent with minimal toxicity. In conclusion, this regimen is associated with a favourable outcome and low toxicity in stage I and II Hodgkin's disease, although patients with B symptoms and pulmonary hilar involvement have a higher risk of relapse.