Long-term effects of high-dose chemotherapy and radiation for relapsed and refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma

To evaluate the risk of late morbidity and mortality, and to assess long-term health-related quality of life (QOL) among patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) after high-dose chemoradiotherapy (HDT) and autologous stem-cell rescue (ASCR).

From 1985 to 1998, 218 patients with HL were treated on HDT with ASCR salvage protocols. Of these 218, 153 (70%) who survived > or = 2 years after ASCR were evaluated for late morbidity and mortality from causes other than HL. QOL information was obtained through self-administered questionnaires. Risk ratios (RR) were calculated to compare observed second malignancy (SM) rates in this cohort with expected SM rates from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry.

Median follow-up after ASCR was 11.5 years. Among 153 patients, there were 53 deaths; 33 from HL and 20 from other causes. Thirteen deaths were caused by SM, with median time from ASCR to SM diagnosis of 9 years (range, 3 to 18 years). The RR of SM was 6.5 (95% CI, 3.6 to 10.7) when compared with the general population, but 2.4 (95% CI, 1.4 to 4.05) when compared with patients with HL. Global QOL of ASCR survivors was comparable with the general population, but for specific domains, respondents' scores indicated reduced functioning and worse symptoms.

HL accounts for most deaths among patients surviving HDT and ASCR. Survivors of ASCR had an elevated risk of SM compared with the cancer risk in the general population, but when compared with patients with HL in SEER, the risk was less pronounced.