Treatment Of Hodgkin's Disease

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[edit] Treatment Of Hodgkin's Disease

In stage I and II radiation can abort Hodgkin's disease that is present in a specific local area with very good cancer survival rates. Stage III and IV needs quite sophisticated multi drug chemotherapy followed often by radiotherapy. At present the best combination seems to be doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine. There are differences, as mentioned earlier, depending on the cell type and the stage the lymphoma is in at the time of diagnosis. Here is a survival table for a low-grade Hodgkin's disease:

Survival of patients with low-grade Hodgkin's disease
Stage:	5 years	10 years	15 years
I and II	85%	70%	40%
III and IV	75%	55%	25-35%

Note: Patients in the table above were only treated with radiotherapy for stage I and II. Stage III and IV patients of these patients with low-grade Hodgkin's disease were first treated with combination chemotherapy and then with radiotherapy, if indicated.

Patients who do not respond with a complete remission or who relapse within 6 to 12 months following initial chemotherapy, have a very poor prognosis.

The only hope for long-term survival then is a bone marrow transplantation. In selected patients, who will withstand the initial high chemotherapy dosage to wipe out the Hodgkin's cells in the system, a bone marrow transplantation can yield cure rates in more than 50% of patients. Unfortunately not every patient with a poor prognosis will be eligible for this vigorous therapy.

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References:

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2. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. 17^th edition, editors M.Beers and R.Berkow. Whitehouse Station, N.J., 1999.

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