ABVD, Stanford V Regimens Equally Effective in Stage I, II Hodgkin's

Results of a new study show no significant difference between the standard of care in Hodgkin's lymphoma, ABVD plus radiotherapy, and the Stanford V regimen, in patients diagnosed with either stage I or stage II locally extensive, bulky mediastinal disease.

Researchers published their findings online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

This was a planned subgroup analysis from the phase III North American Intergroup E2496 Trial (Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Hodgkin's Lymphoma).

A total of 794 patients were included in the initial study, and 264 qualified for the subgroup analysis, having had stage 1 or 2 locally extensive, bulky mediastinal disease.

Out of them, 135 patients received six to eight cycles of ABVD every 28 days, while 129 received Stanford V once weekly for 12 weeks.

All patients then were given 36 Gy of modified involved field radiotherapy to the mediastinum, hila, and supraclavicular regions 2 to 3 weeks after finishing chemotherapy.

Results showed that the overall response rate was 83% in the ABVD group compared with 88% in the Stanford V group (P=0.40) and the complete response rates were 75% and 81% in the ABVD and Stanford V groups (P=0.30), respectively.

“This is the first prospective trial reporting outcomes specific to this subgroup, and it sets a benchmark for comparison of ongoing and future studies,” the research team wrote.

Source: JCO