Frontline ABVD Remains an Effective Option in Advanced-Stage Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: Real-World Data from Turkey

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Hematology
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Novel agents and PET-adapted strategies have improved outcomes in advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL).
• Access to these advanced therapies is limited in many middle-income countries due to cost and availability.
• Real-world data on the effectiveness of standard chemotherapy, like ABVD, remains crucial for these settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the real-world effectiveness of first-line ABVD chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL).
• To compare treatment response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) between early-stage and advanced-stage cHL patients.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective two-center study included 95 patients with newly diagnosed cHL treated with first-line ABVD.
• Patients were categorized into early-stage (I-II) and advanced-stage (III-IV) disease groups.
• Baseline characteristics, response rates, PFS, OS, and mortality were analyzed and compared between the two groups.

Main Results:

• Complete response rates were high in both early-stage (97%) and advanced-stage (95.2%) patients.
• Median PFS and OS were similar between early-stage and advanced-stage groups (21 vs. 23 months and 23 vs. 25 months, respectively).
• Five-year OS rates were 84.3% for early-stage and 98% for advanced-stage, with comparable mortality rates.

Conclusions:

• First-line ABVD chemotherapy demonstrates high response rates and favorable long-term survival in advanced-stage cHL.
• The study supports the continued use of ABVD as a frontline treatment, especially in resource-limited settings.
• ABVD remains an essential and effective option for classical Hodgkin lymphoma treatment globally.