Post-treatment laparotomy in the management of Hodgkin's disease

Tissues obtained by laparotomy and splenectomy from patients with Hodgkin's disease who had received either supradiaphragmatic irradiation for localised disease or combination chemotherapy for advanced disease were examined histologically. 4 of 19 patients considered to be free of abdominal disease after chemotherapy showed residual active Hodgkin's disease; the spleen was the commonest site showing active disease. 2 patients thought to have intra-abdominal disease showed no histological evidence of active disease in the tissue excised. The finding of residual active abdominal disease in patients considered to be in "clinical" remission indicates that the interpretation of the result of treatment depends on the definition of response. A proportion of "relapses" may, in fact, be patients who never achieve genuine remission of disease, whereas the prognosis for those who do achieve complete remission may be even better than currently accepted, and may even amount to "cure". This study shows that histological changes of lymphoreticular tissue can be defined after treatment and may help in determining more accurately the need for further therapy.