Stage I-II pediatric Hodgkin's disease: long-term follow-up demonstrates equivalent survival rates following different management schemes.

The results of treatment of 171 children with stage I-II Hodgkin's disease from two institutions with differing approaches to management have been analyzed. At the Stanford University Medical Center/Children's Hospital at Stanford (SUMC/CHaS), pathologic staging followed by extended-field radiation alone or involved-field radiation plus combination chemotherapy have been cardinal to the management policy. At St Bartholomew's Hospital/The Hospital for Sick Children at Great Ormond Street (Barts/GOS), clinical staging only has been used over the last 10 years, and involved/regional-field radiotherapy used as the treatment of choice rather than extended-field radiotherapy. Some children at each institution received combined modality therapy as primary management. Relapse among children with stage I disease was a more frequent occurrence in the Barts/GOS series than in the SUMC/CHaS group. However, the survival rates from the two centers are identical, 91% at 10 years. The following scientific-philosophic question is asked: Should one maximally stage and treat all children to increase the likelihood of a high freedom from relapse (FFR; cure) rate, or is it acceptable to minimize the initial staging and treatment, realizing that a proportion of patients will fail and require salvage/rescue therapy? With the awareness of morbidity from pathologic staging and aggressive treatment, and the favorable survival data reported from specialized centers using differing approaches, treatment strategies should be directed toward the long-term goal of cure of disease with maximal quality of life. A multidisciplinary management philosophy undertaken at a center with extensive experience in pediatric Hodgkin's disease is important to achieving this goal.