Treatment failures and severe complications in children with Hodgkin's disease

Therapy failures and severe complications in the treatment of 46 children affected with Hodgkin's disease are reported. All children were treated with polychemotherapy (modified MVPP scheme) and radiotherapy (high voltage therapy X-ray 210 KV; involved field radiotherapy). 42 patients came into a complete remission, with a median of 58 months in 37 patients (10--97 months). 6 patients 14.3%) suffered from a recidive, 5 of them came into a second remission. Life-threatening infections appeared in 3 patients. After 9 MVPP cycles an encephalopathy appeared in 2 boys, one of them died. After local radiotherapy a severe laryngitis developed in two patients. An azoospermia existed in 6 adolescent boys examined.