Management of Hodgkin's disease patients with mediastinal adenopathy and pulmonary involvement (stage IIE)

Two hundred and fifty-five patients with Hodgkin's disease and with localized pulmonary involvement (Stage IIE) were retrospectively assessed for their response to different treatment programmes while considering the size of mediastinal lymph nodes and the extent of pulmonary disease (involvement of lung subsegment, segment or lobe). Five-year overall and disease-free survival rates in 255 patients were 89.6% and 72.3%, respectively. In patients with mediastinal index < 1/3 and lung segment and/or subsegment involvement, 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates were 96.6%. For patients with mediastinal index > 1/3 and similar lung involvement the corresponding values were, respectively, 88.6% and 73.5%; and for those with a lung lobe involvement the values were 76.4% and 56.7%, respectively. Patients were treated according to the following programmes: 1 combination chemotherapy cycle + radiotherapy (RT) + 4-5 combination chemotherapy cycles; 3 combination chemotherapy cycles + RT; 6 combination chemotherapy cycles + RT. The best results were obtained with the programme consisting of 1 combination chemotherapy cycle + lymphoid irradiation above the diaphragm and irradiation of the spleen to a total tumour dose of 40 Gy and irradiation of involved lung sites to a total tumour dose of 20 Gy + 4-5 combination chemotherapy cycles.