Long-term complications of MOPP chemotherapy in patients with Hodgkin's disease

Two hundred and sixty-three patients in long-term remission from Hodgkin's disease were evaluated for complications of chemotherapy. All patients were interviewed by telephone conversation and reported complications were documented by chart review. Treatment consisted of mantle and para-aortic irradiation in 127 patients, total nodal irradiation (TNI) in 32, TNI and MOPP in 34, and mechlorethamine, vincristine, prednisone, and procarbazine (MOPP) chemotherapy alone or with lesser irradiation in 70. In this study, greater than 90% of the men who received MOPP remain infertile. In contrast, a substantial portion of female patients treated with MOPP chemotherapy have retained normal menses (58%) and only a small proportion have had persistent amenorrhea (9%). Five of eight female patients desiring families after MOPP chemotherapy have had normal children. The risk of developing a major infection requiring hospitalization was greatest in those patients who had received TNI and MOPP chemotherapy. The risk of developing a herpes zoster infection was greatest during or within the first year following therapy and was greatest in those patients receiving combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Nearly 100% of patients continue to lead normal lives following treatment for Hodgkin's disease. Only a small percent of patients (1.5%) have been totally disabled following treatment.