[Response to ABVD chemotherapeutic protocol in patients with early stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma]

Recent trials show that > 90% of patients with early stage Hodgkin`s Lymphoma (ESHL) can be cured, especially when using the ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) chemotherapeutic (CT) protocol. The use of radiotherapy (RT) is variable and can be selected according to the presence of specific risk factors, including PET-CT, as recently reported.

To report the experience in the treatment of ESHL.

Retrospective and descriptive analysis of patients with ESHL treated at the Red de Salud UC-Christus between 2011-2015.

Twenty-two patients were treated. In 73%, the tumor was of nodular sclerosis histologic type. Most patients (95%) were in stage II, and 78% had a favorable prognosis according to the Deutsche Hodgkin Studiengruppe (GHSG) criteria. All patients were stratified using PET-CT and treated using the ABVD CT protocol, for 4-6 cycles. Only 5 patients received RT. There was no change of conduct after interim-PET-CT results. Ninety one percent of patients achieved complete response and there were two cases of refractory disease. Both cases underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. After 17 months of median follow-up, 91% of patients are relapse-free, and only one patient died (5%).

ABVD offers excellent results for ESHL patients. The benefit of PET-CT should be evaluated with prospective protocols, aiming to select patients needing RT or to reduce the number of CT cycles.