[COP-BLAM therapy for a Hodgkin's disease in the elderly]

Hodgkin's disease (HD) is a disorder with a better prognosis than non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and it predominantly affects young persons. In association with the aging of the population, however, HD has been increasing among persons aged 65 years and over in recent years. We used the COP-BLAM regimen to treat elderly patients with HD, and responses and adverse reactions were investigated. A total of 14 patients with HD treated at our department between April 1987 and December 1997 were included in this study. The patients were 8 men and 6 women aged 65 years or older, with a median age of 68 years. Five patients with clinical stage I or II disease, who had factors indicating a poor prognosis, received 3 courses of the COP-BLAM regimen with additional regional therapy of the involved field (IF). Six courses of COP-BLAM were administered to 9 patients with stage III or IV disease. The treatment was evaluable in all patients. Treatment achieved a complete remission (CR) in 12 (85.7%) of the 14 patients and a partial remission in 2 (14.3%). The CR rate was 100% for stage I or II and 77.8% for stage III or IV. The overall 5-year survival rate was 76.2% and overall disease-free 5-year survival rate was 75.7%. Adverse reactions included grade 3 or higher leukopenia in 35.7% and grade 3 or higher thrombocytopenia in 7.1%. Grade 3 or higher non-hematological toxicity included stomatitis and peripheral neuropathy in one patient each. From these results, we concluded that the COP-BLAM regimen was safe for elderly patients with HD and could achieve prolongation of survival.