Treatment of Hodgkin's disease: the Swedish National Care Programme experience

Contemporarily Treated Patients With Hodgkin Lymphoma Have Childbearing Potential in Line With Matched Comparators

Purpose With excellent cure rates for young patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), there is an increasing number of female survivors of HL interested in becoming pregnant. Here, we report childbearing among contemporarily treated HL survivors in comparison with the general population. Material and Methods Using Swedish registers, 449 women (ages 18 to 40 years) diagnosed with HL between 1992 and 2009 and in remission 9 months after diagnosis were identified. Patients were age- and calendar-year-matched to 2,210 population comparators. Rates of first postdiagnosis childbirth were calculated. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were estimated for different follow-up periods using Cox regression. Cumulative probabilities of first childbirth were calculated in the presence of the competing risk of death or relapse. Results Twenty-two percent of relapse-free patients with HL had a child during follow-up, and first childbirth rates increased over time, from 40.2 per 1,000 person-years (1992 to 1997) to 69.7 per 1,000 person-years (2004 to 2009). For comparators, childbirth rates remained stable (70.1 per 1,000 person-years). Patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2009 had a cumulative probability of childbirth similar to comparators. Three years or more after diagnosis, no differences in childbirth rates were observed between patients and comparators, regardless of stage or treatment. Patients who received six to eight courses of bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone had a lower childbirth rate than comparators during the first 3 years (HR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.94), as did patients who received six to eight courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy (HR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.65). Conclusion Childbearing potential among female survivors of HL has improved over time, and childbirth rates 3 years after diagnosis in contemporarily treated patients are, in the absence of relapse, similar to those in the general population, regardless of stage and treatment.

Greater attention should be paid to developing therapies for elderly patients with Hodgkin lymphoma-A population-based study from Sweden

OBJECTIVE

Forty percent of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients are older than 50 years at diagnosis, a fact which is not commonly recognized. Older patients do significantly worse than younger patients and are rarely included in clinical trials.

METHODS

Using data from Swedish Cancer and Lymphoma Registries, we estimated relative survival ratios (RSRs) for 7997 HL patients (diagnosed 1973-2013; 45% ≥50 years).

RESULTS

The 1-year RSRs (95% confidence interval; CI) for males aged 45-59, 60-69, 70-80, and 81 years and over, diagnosed in 2013, were 0.95 (0.91-0.97), 0.88 (0.81-0.92), 0.74 (0.63-0.81), and 0.52 (0.35-0.67), respectively. The corresponding 1-year RSRs for females were 0.97 (0.94-0.98), 0.91 (0.85-0.95), 0.82 (0.73-0.88), and 0.66 (0.50-0.77). No improvements in 1-year of 5-year relative survival from 2000 to 2013 were observed for patients aged 45-59 or 60-69 but there were modest improvements for patients aged 70 years and older. Importantly, we saw no changes in the distribution of disease or patient characteristics between 2000 and 2013.

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly patients constitute a large group with clearly unmet medical needs. Our findings motivate a more active approach to including elderly patients in clinical trials. Our study provides a baseline for outcome comparison after the broader introduction of targeted drugs.

Temporal Trends in Mortality From Diseases of the Circulatory System After Treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Sweden (1973 to 2006)

Purpose

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survival in Sweden has improved dramatically over the last 40 years, but little is known about the extent to which efforts aimed at reducing long-term treatment-related mortality have contributed to the improved prognosis.

Methods

We used population-based data from Sweden to estimate the contribution of treatment-related mortality caused by diseases of the circulatory system (DCS) to temporal trends in excess HL mortality among 5,462 patients diagnosed at ages 19 to 80 between 1973 and 2006. Flexible parametric survival models were used to estimate excess mortality. In addition, we used recent advances in statistical methodology to estimate excess mortality in the presence of competing causes of death.

Results

Excess DCS mortality within 20 years after diagnosis has decreased continually since the mid-1980s and is expected to further decrease among patients diagnosed in the modern era. Age at diagnosis and sex were important predictors for excess DCS mortality, with advanced age and male sex being associated with higher excess DCS mortality. However, when accounting for competing causes of death, we found that excess DCS mortality constitutes a relatively small proportion of the overall mortality among patients with HL in Sweden.

Conclusion

Excess DCS mortality is no longer a common source of mortality among Swedish patients with HL. The main causes of death among long-term survivors today are causes other than HL, although other (non-DCS) excess mortality also persists for as long as 20 years after diagnosis, particularly among older patients.

Progress in Hodgkin lymphoma: a population-based study on patients diagnosed in Sweden from 1973-2009

In recent decades, attention has focused on reducing long-term, treatment-related morbidity and mortality in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). In the present study, we looked for trends in relative survival for all patients diagnosed with HL in Sweden from 1973-2009 (N = 6949; 3985 men and 2964 women; median age, 45 years) and followed up for death until the end of 2010. Patients were categorized into 6 age groups and 5 calendar periods (1973-1979, 1980-1986, 1987-1994, 1994-2000, and 2001-2009). Relative survival improved in all age groups, with the greatest improvement in patients 51-65 years of age (P < .0005). A plateau in relative survival was observed in patients below 65 years of age during the last calendar period, suggesting a reduced long-term, treatment-related mortality. The 10-year relative survival for patients diagnosed in 2000-2009 was 0.95, 0.96, 0.93, 0.80, and 0.44 for the age groups 0-18, 19-35, 36-50, 51-65, and 66-80, respectively. Therefore, despite progress, age at diagnosis remains an important prognostic factor (P < .0005). Advances in therapy for patients with limited and advanced-stage HL have contributed to an increasing cure rate. In addition, our findings support that long-term mortality of HL therapy has decreased. Elderly HL patients still do poorly, and targeted treatment options associated with fewer side effects will advance the clinical HL field.

Changing patterns in the clinical pathological features of hodgkin lymphoma: a report from debrecen, hungary

Introduction. Hodgkin lymphoma shows a well-known geographic pattern, but temporal changes have been found recently as well. Patients and Methods. 439 Hodgkin lymphoma patients' clinicopathological and treatment data were processed in calendar periods of approximately ten years. The patients were treated at our department from 1980 until the end of 2008. Results. The first period (1980–89) contained 177 patients, the second (1990–99) 147, and the third (2000–08) 115 Hodgkin lymphoma patients. The mean age of the patients was 40.1, 35.9, and 36.8 years in order. The male/female ratio: 1.42, 1.45, 1.05 in order. Contrary-wise a unimodal age group pattern could have been seen with an incidence peak between 30 and 39 in the past decades. The incidence of classical mixed cellularity histological subtype is decreasing (43.7%, 58.23%, 42.6%, P = 0.0098 (it is only significant in the second period)); classical nodular sclerosis shows an increasing tendency (25%, 27.32%, 34.78%, P = 0.1734). The first incidence peak is predominantly created by classical nodular sclerosis, meanwhile the second peak by classical mixed cellularity. The number of early-stage patients (59.12%) is beyond the advanced stage (40%) in the last decade. Meanwhile, the number of second-stage patients was increasing (25.8%, 26.35%, 49.56%  P < 0.0001) and of patients in third stage was decreasing (53.4 %, 50.67%, 20%  P < 0.0001). The 5- and 10-year overall survival data were progressing: 59.7 %, 77.4 %, and 90.5 % and 44.1 %, 70.6 % and 90.5 % (expected survival) in the last decade. Conclusions. Changes can be explained by the altered nature of Hodgkin lymphoma, the changes in socioeconomic status and the development of diagnostic and therapy methods.

[Changing patterns in the clinical, pathological features of Hodgkin lymphoma]

Hodgkin lymphoma shows a well-known geographic pattern, but temporal changes have been found recently as well.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The Authors analyzed 439 Hodgkin lymphoma patients' clinicopathological and treatment data. Patients were treated at our department from 1980 until the end of 2008.

RESULTS

The first period contained 117 patients, the second 147 and third 115 Hodgkin lymphoma patients. The mean age of the patients was 40.1, 35.9 and 36.8 years in order. The male/female ratio: 1.42, 1.45, 1.04 in order. The incidence of mixed cellularity histological subtype is decreasing; nodular sclerosis shows an increasing tendency. The number of early stage patients (59.12%) is beyond the advanced stage (40%) in the last decade. The 10-year overall survival data were progressing 44.1%, 70.6% and 90.5% (survival prognosis) in the last decade.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes can be explained by the altered nature of Hodgkin lymphoma, the changes in socioeconomic status and the development of diagnostic and therapy methods.

Poor antibody response to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination suggests increased susceptibility to pneumococcal infection in splenectomized patients with hematological diseases

Patients with hematological diseases undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic splenectomy are at increased risk of pneumococcal infections. Vaccination is a straightforward option in preventing these infections. A well-defined cohort of splenectomized patients with hematological disorders was followed according to response to 23-valent pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide (Pneumovax N) vaccination. A total of 76 splenectomized patients (Hodgkin lymphoma, HL 26, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, NHL 19, immune-mediated cytopenias 28, and others 3) with a median age of 52 years (range 18-82 years) were included. Pneumococcal polysaccharide (PS) antibodies were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before vaccination, at peak, and follow-up. A poor response to vaccination was observed in 21 (28%) patients and a good response in 55 (72%), respectively. During the follow-up period of 7.5 years (range 3.5-10.5 years) after vaccination, and despite repeated revaccination in many cases, a total of five episodes (in three patients) of pneumococcal infections were reported, all confined to the poor responder group. Revaccination did not improve antibody levels in this group. The median age at vaccination was significantly higher in the group of poor responders (p=0.0006). None of the following factors could predict a poor antibody response: gender, disease activity or aggressiveness in hematological malignancies, previous radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, time between splenectomy and pneumococcal vaccination, time between chemotherapy/radiotherapy and study pneumococcal vaccination (1 year), or the presence of hypogammaglobulinemia. In conclusion, a substantial proportion of splenectomized patients with hematological diseases mounted a poor PS antibody response and remained at risk for pneumococcal infections despite vaccination. In the absence of apt indirect clinical predictors of antibody response, with the exception of age, measurement of antibody levels seems to be a feasible method for early identification of this patient subgroup. Poor responders do not benefit from revaccination, and should be offered other prophylactic measures.

Estimating the optimal utilization rates of radiotherapy for hematologic malignancies from a review of the evidence

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to estimate the ideal proportion of new patients with lymphoma who should receive radiotherapy at some time during the course of their illness, based on the best evidence.

METHODS

Available evidence of the efficacy of radiotherapy in most clinical situations for lymphoma were identified through extensive literature reviews and treatment guideline searches. Epidemiologic data concerning the distribution of histologic type, disease stage, and other factors that influence the use of radiotherapy were identified. Decision trees were constructed to merge the evidence-based recommendations with the epidemiologic data to calculate the optimal proportion of patients who should receive radiotherapy according to the best available evidence. Actual radiotherapy utilization rates also were identified.

RESULTS

The proportion of patients with lymphoma in Australia that should receive radiotherapy at some point in their management, according to the best available evidence, was calculated at 65.0%. Multivariate analysis with a Monte Carlo simulation yielded a radiotherapy utilization rate of 64.4%. The actual utilization rates of radiotherapy for lymphoma reported in clinical practice were 22-29%, substantially lower than the optimal rate calculated in this project.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research will be required to identify why more patients who are diagnosed with lymphoma are not treated with radiotherapy.

A prospective study on antibody response to repeated vaccinations with pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide in splenectomized individuals with special reference to Hodgkin's lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Splenectomy is accompanied by a life-long risk of overwhelming postsplenectomy infection (OPSI), mainly caused by polysaccharide (PS) encapsulated bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. Despite extensive prophylactic efforts the mortality and morbidity rates remain high. The present study was based on a strategy with a predefined vaccination algorithm including repeated 23-valent pneumococcal vaccinations and monitoring of pneumococcal antibody levels. The antibody levels of splenectomized Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) patients were compared with those patients splenectomized due to immune-mediated cytopenias [autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) and immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)] and also individuals who were splenectomized because of trauma (TRAUMA).

METHODS

A total of 311 splenectomized individuals were included in this prospective study (208 HL; 15 AIHA; 60 ITP; 28 TRAUMA). Depending on their individual anti-PS antibody levels measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique the patients were revaccinated with 23-valent pneumococcal PS vaccine up to four times in accordance with the predefined algorithm. For each vaccination occasion, serum was collected at vaccination, after 1 month +/- 2 weeks (peak), and after 1 year +/- 6 months (follow-up). Patient files, a national population-based database, and microbiological databases were checked for 124 HL patients to identify OPSI.

RESULTS

A significant response was recorded on primary vaccination as well as on two revaccination occasions for HL, AIHA/ITP, as well as TRAUMA patients. None of the variables age, gender, or time elapsed between splenectomy and first pneumococcal vaccination was found to be associated with mean PS antibody levels at prevaccination, peak or follow-up. No severe adverse events were reported. Amongst 124 clinically monitored HL patients, 10 OPSI were recorded in seven patients during the study period. One of these patients, a middle-aged female, died as a result of fulminant pneumococcal bacteraemia, which was her third OPSI during a 7-year period.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant response to pneumococcal PS vaccination was found in all three groups (HL, AIHA/ITP and TRAUMA) of splenectomized patients. Importantly, both primary and repeated vaccinations were safe. Until further knowledge is gained regarding the protective concentration of serotype-specific antibody concentrations we believe that the value of vaccination and frequent revaccination (every 1-5 years) in combination with education of patients and health care professionals and clinical monitoring is beneficial for these patients at risk for OPSI.

Bulky disease is the most important prognostic factor in Hodgkin lymphoma stage IIB

The aim of this study was to evaluate treatment results for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients younger than 60 yr in stage IIB, treated according to the Swedish National Care Programme. The intention was also to identify specific subgroups depending on the number of negative prognostic factors the patients have, in order to optimise and differentiate future treatment. In total, 99 patients with HL stage IIB, diagnosed between 1985 and 1994, have been analysed. There were 47 men and 52 women and the median age was 33 yr (range 17-59). Eighty-six patients presented with supradiaphragmatic disease and 13 with infradiaphragmatic. The HL specific and overall 10-yr survival was 73 and 65%, respectively. The HL-specific survival for patients in pathological stage IIB tended to be better, although not statistically significant than for clinical stage IIB, despite less chemotherapy (P = 0.1). The patients in stage IIB who were selected for laparotomy were, however, younger and with fewer negative prognostic factors. The only significant negative prognostic factor was bulky disease (P = 0.001). The following factors also tended to have a negative influence on the prognosis although not statistically significant: the International Prognostic Score, the number of involved lymph node stations, extranodal involvement and leucocyte count > 15 x 10(9)/L. In conclusion, we suggest that bulky disease should be taken into account when treating patients with stage IIB HL.

Early and intermediate stage Hodgkin's lymphoma--report from the Swedish National Care Programme

In Sweden a National Care Programme provides treatment principles for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) since 1985, for early and intermediate stages often less extensive than international recommendations. The purpose is to evaluate long-term results of these principles. A total of 308 patients (167 men and 141 women), 17-59 yr old (median 31), diagnosed during 1985-92, pathological stage (PS) I-III1A and I-IIB and clinical stage (CS) I-IIA, mean follow-up 8.8 yr, were studied. Staging laparotomy was recommended in CS IIA. Recommended treatment was mantle or mini-mantle radiotherapy (RT) alone in CS IA, and PS I-IIA and subtotal nodal irradiation in PS III1A if the disease was not bulky. Patients in PS I-IIA and III1A with bulky disease, and PS I-IIB received one cycle of mechlorethamine, vincristine, prednisone, procarbazine/doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, lacarbazine (MOPP/ABVD) before irradiation. The remaining patients received three to four cycles of MOPP/ABVD with RT to bulky disease. Relapse-free (RFS), Hodgkin specific (HLS), and overall survival (OS) at 10 yr were 74%, 92% and 85%. In the individual stages, RFS ranged from 53% (PSIII1A) to 90% (PS IA). RFS (P = 0.006), HLS, and OS were significantly better in patients treated with chemotherapy compared with those treated with RT alone, especially in patients with bulky disease (P = 0.0005). The international prognostic score did not provide any prognostic information. The OS rates are in agreement with results from international centres during that time. The recommended treatment was sufficient to produce the desired results of <20-30% recurrences, except in PS III1A. Most relapses could be salvaged. Patients with risk factors treated with one MOPP/ABVD and RT had an excellent outcome, superior to those without risk factors treated with RT alone. These results favour the trend to treat early and intermediate stages with a short course of chemotherapy followed by limited RT.

Mast cell infiltration correlates with poor prognosis in Hodgkin's lymphoma

Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is characterized by a few Hodgkin, Reed-Sternberg cells (HRS) surrounded by benign cells. We recently reported that mast cells were the predominant CD30L-positive cells in HL tumours, and that they activate HRS in vitro through CD30L-CD30 interaction. Here, we investigated the clinical importance of mast cell infiltration in the tumours of 123 patients. Tumour specimens were stained with a mast-cell-specific antibody that detects tryptase. Mast cells were detected in virtually every case and increasing numbers of mast cells correlated to nodular sclerosis histology (P = 0.008). Patients with higher mast cell infiltration had a worse relapse-free survival (P = 0.01).

Treatment of elderly Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with a novel 5-drug regimen (ODBEP): a phase II study

Elderly patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) have a worse outcome than young patients. In an effort to improve the outcome in elderly HL patients, we used a 5-drug chemotherapy regimen called ODBEP (vincristine, doxorubicin, bleomycin, etoposide, prednisone) from 1986-1995. We hoped that by increasing dose intensity through delivery of treatment without delays, and increasing the number of non-cross-resistant chemotherapeutic drugs that were selected for minimal cumulative myelotoxicity, we might improve the cure rate in elderly patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Comparison was made with a similar group of patients treated from 1981-1986 with MOPP/ABV-variant chemotherapy. Ninety-nine patients who were 65 years or older, were diagnosed with HL from 1981-1995. Seventy-one patients had advanced disease and 55 of this group were treated with curative intent using multi-agent chemotherapy (ODBEP = 38; MOPP/ABV-variant = 17). ODBEP and MOPP/ABV-type treatment gave a median survival of 43 and 39 months, with 5-year overall survival (OS) of 42 and 32%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in OS or disease specific survival between the treatments. Both treatments were well tolerated, but ODBEP was less myelotoxic. ODBEP patients had a relative risk of 0.47 of developing febrile neutropenia compared to the MOPP/ABV-variant patients. In conclusion, treatment of elderly Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with ODBEP resulted in a similar OS and disease-specific survival compared to those treated with MOPP/ABV type chemotherapy, but appeared to be less toxic.

Relapsed Hodgkin's lymphoma: immunostaining patterns in relation to survival

Patients with relapsing Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) have a rather poor prognosis and mechanisms that lead to resistance to therapy are poorly understood. Our aims were to investigate the immunohistochemical staining patterns of Rb (retinoblastoma protein) and the p53 tumour suppressor protein in HL at initial presentation and at relapse in order to elucidate a possible role in disease progression and resistance to therapy. Further to evaluate the presence and prognostic importance of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). Eighty-one cases of relapsing HL were reexamined histopathologically and immunostained for the expression of p53, Rb, ALK and CD30. EBV was detected with LMP-1 stainings and in situ hybridisation for EBER. Clinical data were extracted from the Swedish National Health Care Programme for HL. Median follow-up time was six years (range 0-12) from the date of relapse. The majority of cases were positive for p53 and Rb both at presentation and at relapse, though to a different extent. Both an increase and a decrease in the proportion of stained tumour cells were observed. None of our cases was ALK-positive and 44% were EBV-positive. No specific staining pattern was directly correlated to survival. In 12 patients a switch in HL subtype from diagnosis to relapse was observed and the five-year Hodgkin-specific survival (HLS) was statistically significantly inferior, 37 vs 81% (p = 0.002), in those patients. We found a significant relation between the expression of p53 and EBV at diagnosis and relapse, indicating a clonal relationship. We were unable to find any specific staining pattern of p53 or Rb, affecting survival.

A population-based study of the outcome for patients with first relapse of Hodgkin's lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Our aims were to evaluate the response to salvage treatment in relation to initial treatment and to evaluate prognostic factors at the time of relapse in an unselected population of relapsing patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In total, 124 patients younger than 60 yr of age with initial diagnosis of HL in Sweden relapsed between 1985 and 1995.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight patients relapsed after initial treatment with radiotherapy (RT) only, 62 after combination chemotherapy (CT), of whom 30 had received additional involved-field RT, and four after a short course of CT followed by extended-field RT. For 37 patients among the 58 relapsers after initial RT treated according to the recommendations of the National guidelines, the 5-yr Hodgkin-specific survival (HLS) was 85%, overall survival (OS) 73% and event-free survival (EFS) 62%, which is not inferior to survival in patients with primarily advanced stages. It was poorer in the 21 patients who initially had received RT only, even though they had been recommended for more extensive treatment. For patients initially treated with a full course (6-8 cycles) of CT the 5-yr HLS was 60%, OS 58% and EFS 22%. Bulky disease and age at diagnosis strongly affected survival in a multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients initially treated with RT who relapse have a favourable outcome, provided they have been treated according to the recommendations of the guidelines at the time of diagnosis. Initially bulky disease and, as a consequence, additional RT as part of the initial treatment negatively affect survival at relapse in patients initially treated with a full course of CT.

Mast cells express functional CD30 ligand and are the predominant CD30L-positive cells in Hodgkin's disease

Hodgkin's disease (HD) tumours are characterized by the presence of few tumour cells, the Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells, surrounded by a large amount of non-neoplastic cells. The role of this cell infiltrate for the development of HD is not known. CD30, belonging to the tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily, is highly expressed on HRS cells and believed to be involved in tumourigenesis and tumour progression. Tumour samples from 42 patients were immunohistochemically double-stained for tryptase, a mast cell-specific proteinase and CD30 ligand (CD30L). Tryptase-positive mast cells were present in all tumours. Of these cells, 50% expressed CD30L and 66% of the CD30L-positive cells were mast cells. CD30L mRNA in in vitro developed normal mast cells and malignant human and murine mast cell lines was detected using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. CD30L protein expressed on human mast cells was detected using flow cytometry. In a co-culture assay, the human mast cell line HMC-1 stimulated thymidine uptake in HRS cell lines, and the stimulation could be blocked using CD30L-specific monoclonal antibodies. In conclusion, mast cells are present in HD tumours and are the predominant CD30L-expressing cells. CD30L-CD30 interaction is a pathway by which mast cells may stimulate DNA synthesis in HRS cells.

The serum levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) are related to the infiltration of eosinophils in the tumours of patients with Hodgkin's disease

We have previously described a relation between abundance of eosinophilic granulocytes in Hodgkin's disease (HD) tumours and poor prognosis. In order to further explore the importance of the eosinophilic infiltration, we immunohistochemically examined the presence of eosinophils, using the monoclonal antibodies EG 1 and EG 2, in the tumours of 54 newly diagnosed patients with HD and related the degree of infiltration to clinical characteristics and the serum levels of eosinophil cationic protein (S-ECP). S-ECP levels (upper normal value 16 micrograms/l) varied between 2.2 and 71.7 micrograms/l, mean 25.4 micrograms/l. There was an association (p = 0.01) between the number of eosinophils in the tumour tissue and S-ECP. S-ECP levels were also associated to high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, p < 0.01) and nodular sclerosis (NS) histology (p < 0.05), and there was a tendency of a correlation to bulky disease (p = 0.06). The number of eosinophils stained with EG 2 correlated to high ESR (p < 0.05), and to high leukocyte count (p = 0.02). A follow-up value of S-ECP after treatment was, in most of the cases measured, lower than the initial value. The high values of S-ECP in several patients with HD probably originates from eosinophils infiltrating the tumours. The same patients had a higher ESR and tended to have a more advanced stage and bulky disease. There are no significant correlations with disease-free and overall survival, as the follow-up time is short, and prognosis favourable.

A prognostic score for advanced Hodgkin's disease. International Prognostic Factors Project on Advanced Hodgkin's Disease

BACKGROUND

Two thirds of patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease are cured with current approaches to treatment. Prediction of the outcome is important to avoid overtreating some patients and to identify others in whom standard treatment is likely to fail.

METHODS

Data were collected from 25 centers and study groups on a total of 5141 patients treated with combination chemotherapy for advanced Hodgkin's disease, with or without radiotherapy. The data included the outcome and 19 demographic and clinical characteristics at diagnosis. The end point was freedom from progression of disease. Complete data were available for 1618 patients; the final Cox model was fitted to these data. Data from an additional 2643 patients were used for partial validation.

RESULTS

The prognostic score was defined as the number of adverse prognostic factors present at diagnosis. Seven factors had similar independent prognostic effects: a serum albumin level of less than 4 g per deciliter, a hemoglobin level of less than 10.5 g per deciliter, male sex, an age of 45 years or older, stage IV disease (according to the Ann Arbor classification), leukocytosis (a white-cell count of at least 15,000 per cubic millimeter), and lymphocytopenia (a lymphocyte count of less than 600 per cubic millimeter, a count that was less than 8 percent of the white-cell count, or both). The score predicted the rate of freedom from progression of disease as follows: 0, or no factors (7 percent of the patients), 84 percent; 1 (22 percent of the patients), 77 percent; 2 (29 percent of the patients), 67 percent; 3 (23 percent of the patients), 60 percent; 4 (12 percent of the patients), 51 percent; and 5 or higher (7 percent of the patients), 42 percent.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognostic score we developed may be useful in designing clinical trials for the treatment of advanced Hodgkin's disease and in making individual therapeutic decisions, but a distinct group of patients at very high risk could not be identified on the basis of routinely documented demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methyl-GAG, ifosfamide, methotrexate and etoposide (MIME) as salvage therapy for Hodgkin's disease: a prospective study

This study presents the results of a prospective study of methyl-gag, ifosfamide, methotrexate and etoposide (MIME) as salvage regimen for Hodgkin's disease (HD) in Sweden. Sixty-four patients with recurrent or refractory HD were treated with MIME between July 1988 and December 1993. All patients except one had, earlier, been treated with and failed consecutive or alternating MOPP and ABVD. Median age was 37 yr (range 14-73). Twenty patients (31%) achieved a complete remission (CR) and 17 (27%) a partial remission (PR), giving an overall response rate of 58%. The 5-yr survival for all patients was 43%. In a multivariate analysis, the most important factors predicting a poor survival were the presence of extranodal disease at relapse, male gender and high age. Twenty-nine patients were treated with high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell rescue after MIME. Those patients had a similar survival compared to the patients responding to MIME but not treated with high-dose chemotherapy. We conclude that MIME induces remissions in a high proportion of patients with recurrent and refractory HD with acceptable toxicity. The remissions probably need consolidation, but the nature of this consolidation is still controversial.

G-CSF (filgrastim) as an adjunct to MOPP/ABVD therapy in Hodgkin's disease

The main objective of this study was to assess to what extent filgrastim (G-CSF, Amgen-Roche) can facilitate administration of the full dose intensity of MOPP/ABVD chemotherapy to patients with Hodgkin's disease. Sixteen patients with Hodgkin's disease were treated with MOPP/ABVD and filgrastim support between January 1992 and March 1994. Twenty-five patients treated with MOPP/ABVD 1987-1991 served as historical controls. The two groups were well matched for age, gender, stage, performance status and histological subgroups, but in the study group more patients had B-symptoms (p < 0.05). Dose intensity (DI) was calculated in mg/m2/week and the intended average dose was designated as 1. The planned average DI was reached by 8/16 patients in the study group but by only 1/25 in the control group (p < 0.001). The reasons for decreased DI in the study group were neutropenia (n = 5), thrombocytopenia (2 pts) and neurotoxicity (n = 1). In the control group the reason for decreased DI was neutropenia (n = 24). In the study group 15/16 patients achieved Complete Response (CR), 2/15 relapsed and 15/16 were surviving after a median follow-up 31 (6-48) months. In the control group 25/25 patients attained CR, 5/25 relapsed and 20/25 were surviving after a median follow up 67 (12-100) months. No severe toxicity was observed during filgrastim therapy. To conclude, the dose intensity during MOPP/ABVD therapy was significantly higher if filgrastim was administered, but the additional benefit that this confers remains to be determined. A large scale, retrospective analyses of treatment response and actual dose-intensity should help answer this question and give guidance as to if and when hematopoietic growth factors should be administered to patients with Hodgkin's disease.

Lack of correlation between EBV serology and presence of EBV in the Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells of patients with Hodgkin's disease

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is detected in Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells in up to 50% of patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD). HD patients have been reported to express high serum titers against EBV antigens, even prior to the diagnosis of HD. Patients with high serum titers have a poorer prognosis. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the presence of EBV in HRS cells and the antibody titers reactive with different EBV antigens. Frozen serum and histopathological tissues were available from 107 untreated HD patients diagnosed between 1979 and 1991. The presence of EBV in the HRS cells was evaluated with immunohistochemistry directed against the LMP-1 antigen and/or with in situ hybridization of EBER-1. Analyses were performed of serum titers against early antigen (EA), diffuse (IgA and IgG) and restricted (IgG), virus-capsid antigen (VCA) (IgA and IgG), and EBV-encoded nuclear antigens (EBNA, EBNA 1, EBNA 2A, EBNA 2B, EBNA 6). EBV was detected in 27/107 (25%) tumor specimens, with a higher proportion in the MC group 8/13 (62%) (p < 0.01). IgG VCA and EBNA were detected in 99/107 (93%), evidence of a previous EBV infection. There were no significant relationships between antibody titers reactive with different EBV antigens and detectable EBV in HRS cells. Furthermore, there did not appear to be any relationship between EBV serology or the presence of EBV in HRS cells and clinical outcome. The role of EBV in the development of HD, especially its relationship to the immunological response, remains unclear.

Patients suffering from both Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a clinico-pathological and immuno-histochemical population-based study of 32 patients

The occurrence of Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) appearing in the same individual indicates a closer relationship between the 2 diseases than previously believed. The purpose of our study was to analyze cases of HD and NHL in a defined population clinically, histopathologically and immunohistochemically to look for similarities indicating a common cellular origin. Between 1974 and 1994, 77 individuals were identified from the Swedish Cancer Registry and the National Health Care Programme for HD as potentially having both diagnoses. Thirty-two patients who had both HD and NHL were available for histo-pathological re-examination and immunohistochemical staining with CD30, CD15, LMP, p53, CD45 (LCA), CD3, CD45R0 (UCHL-1), L26, MB2 and CD45R (4KB5). The most common relation was HD preceding a high-grade malignant NHL (16 of 32 patients), unexpectedly often of T-cell phenotype (7 of 16 patients). The next common association was NHL of B-CLL type followed by HD (7 of 32 patients). At clinical presentation, the first lymphoma did not differ from lymphomas not associated with a second lymphoma, whereas the second one often appeared with a disseminated and aggressive clinical form. There was a significant correlation between the expression of p53 and LMP in first and second lymphomas. CD3 antibody was frequently expressed both in HD and NHL, whereas positivity for B-cell-related antibodies, CD30, CD15 and CD45R0, was less frequent and generally lower than previously described. The occurrence of HD and NHL in an individual is unusual. Tumour biological features common to both HD and NHL may indicate a similar cellular origin, regardless of the time interval between the diagnoses, and may contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of lymphoma.

Serum Levels of Soluble CD 30 and Their Relationship to Tumour Burden and Prognosis in Patients with Hodgkin's Disease

PURPOSE

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the serum levels of soluble CD 30 (S-sCD 30), the Hodgkin and Reed Sternberg (HRS) cell density and the macroscopic tumour burden in untreated patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In 126 untreated patients with HD diagnosed between 1979-1991, (79 males and 47 females, median age 33 years) S-sCD 30 was measured using frozen serum samples. The number of HRS cells (the HRS cell density) was counted in 10 high-power vision fields. The macroscopic tumour volume was estimated in 70 patients in stages I and II by counting the number of involved sites and scoring them according to size.

RESULTS

Soluble CD 30 was detected in the sera of all patients. The levels were significantly higher in patients with high HRS cell density, high macroscopic tumour burden, stages III-IV, B symptoms and bulky disease. Patients with high S-sCD 30 had a significantly poorer DFS (p < 0.05) and survival (p < 0.001). High HRS cell density correlated to large macroscopic tumour burden, stage IV disease and B-symptoms. Patients with the highest HRS cell density had a significantly poorer disease-free survival (DFS) (p < 0.01) and survival (p < 0.01). In a multivariate analysis, S-sCD 30 was more important as regards prognosis than HRS cell density.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum levels of sCD 30 are probably a measurement of tumour burden in HD and are also strongly related to the prognosis. A high number of HRS cells correlated to an extensive spread HD and also to prognosis.