[Hodgkin's disease. Our 9-year experience with the 1980 protocol]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Clinical Medicine

Context:

• Hodgkin's disease treatment protocols
• Diagnostic staging procedures

Purpose:

• Evaluate therapeutic outcomes of the 1980 Hodgkin's disease protocol.
• Analyze the utility of staging laparotomy in patient management.

Summary:

• A 9-year study of 94 Hodgkin's disease patients (various stages) using the 1980 protocol.
• Achieved an 85% complete remission rate, with 9 of 14 relapsed patients achieving new remission.
• Overall actuarial survival was 64% at 47 months; 3 cases of acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia observed.
• Staging laparotomy altered patient staging in 49% of cases (43% upstaging, 6% downstaging).

Impact:

• Laparotomy is effective for staging Hodgkin's disease.
• Suggests restrictive criteria for selecting patients for laparotomy are warranted.