[Treatment for Hodgkin's disease]

The mainstay of treatment for patients with localized stage HD was historically radiation therapy. However, chemotherapy has been substituting radiation therapy because of remarkable effects of chemotherapy and the late adverse effects of radiation therapy. In the treatment of advanced stage HD, ABVD therapy is currently identified as the best chemotherapy on the basis of equivalent efficacy and reduced toxicity comparing with MOPP therapy. The newer, intensified regimens such as escalated BEACOPP or Stanford V have demonstrated excellent disease control in preliminary results. For patients with primary refractory or relapsed HD after chemotherapy, current data support the use of high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue.