Response-guided ABVD chemotherapy plus involved-field radiation therapy for intermediate-stage Hodgkin lymphoma in the pre-positron emission tomography era: a Gruppo Italiano Studio Linfomi (GISL) prospective trial.

PURPOSE: In the pre-positron emission tomography era, the Gruppo Italiano Studio Linfomi (GISL) investigated the feasibility and efficacy of a treatment based on a response-tailored number of doxorubicin/bleomycin/vinblastine/dacarbazine (ABVD) courses in 218 intermediate-stage Hodgkin lymphoma patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with stage I/II showing at least one adverse prognostic factor and stage IIIA without adverse prognostic factors were recruited. Treatment included a first step of 3 ABVD courses, followed by an early-restaging. Patients in CR/CRu received 1 additional ABVD cycle, patients in PR received 3 more ABVD, and nonresponder patients went off study. Involved-field radiation therapy (RT) was recommended on chemotherapy completion. RESULTS: The median age was 30 years (range, 15-68 years) and 131 patients (61\%) were female. Seven percent of patients were in stage I, 78\% in stage II, and 15\% in stage III; B-symptoms, bulky tumor and erythrocyte sedimentation rate > 30 were recorded in 20\%, 26\%, and 43\% of cases, respectively. The CR/CRu rate was 62\% at early restaging, 72\% at the end of chemotherapy, and 95\% following RT. With a median follow-up of 74 months (range, 6-193 months), 7-year overall survival, relapse-free survival, and freedom from treatment failure were 91.8\% (95\% CI, 86\%-95.5\%), 89.2\% (95\% CI, 82.8\%-93.3\%), and 81.8\% (95\% CI, 75.2\%-86.7\%), respectively. Patients in CR/CRu on early restaging, receiving 4 ABVD, had an excellent outcome with 7-year RFS and cause-specific survival similar to those of the late responders treated with 6 ABVD (RFS, 87.5\% vs. 90.5\% and CSS, 96.6\% vs. 92.7\%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The response-guided ABVD program we report, based on standard clinical staging procedures, proved to be feasible and safe in patients with intermediate-stage Hodgkin lymphoma.