Efficacy of ABVD Therapy in Resistant Hodgkin's Disease

Between January 1979 and June 1987, 46 patients with Hodgkin's disease '(HD) resistant to first-line combination chemotherapy or in early relapse were treated with ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine). Twenty-two of 42 patients (52%) evaluable for response achieved a complete remission (CR), and eight (19%) a partial remission (PR). Median survival was 42.9 months with a probability of being alive at 5 years of 25 % (95 % CI: 10-40%). Median CR duration was 36.6 months and the probability of being alive and in CR at 5 years for the whole series was 20% (95 % CI: 8-32%). No clinical or laboratory data present before therapy with ABVD were associated with a higher index of response or longer survival. This studv confirms the efficacy of ABVD combination chemotherapy in resistant or relapsed HD.