Combination Chemotherapy-Radiotherapy for Stage III Hodgkin's Disease

Abstract

The Acute Leukemia Group B has studied the effect of combining chemotherapy and intensive radiotherapy in patients with stage III Hodgkin's disease. Toxicity was most severe in patients given chemotherapy first and in patients 50 years or older. The combination therapy could be given with relative ease after splenectomy. At three years, the median survival time of all patients has not been reached, but already a pronounced effect of age upon survival has been found. The median survival is 18 months for patients 50 years or older, 32 months for those patients between 30 and 49 years old, and after 48 months no median is in sight for the youngest age group.