Randomised study of MOPP (mustine, Oncovin, procarbazine, prednisone) against LOPP (Leukeran substituted for mustine) in advanced Hodgkin's disease. British National Lymphoma Investigation.

299 patients with stage III or IV Hodgkin's disease were randomised to receive cyclical chemotherapy with MOPP (mustine, Oncovin, procarbazine, prednisone) or LOPP (Leukeran substituted for mustine). The complete remission rates (59.9% for MOPP, 59.4% for LOPP), actuarial survival (65.7 and 68.2% at 5 years, respectively) and complete remission/relapse free survival (33.3 and 32.2% at 5 years, respectively) were similar for both groups. There were no significant differences in response data between the MOPP and LOPP groups for individual prognostic variables (histology grade, stage, age and response to treatment). Deaths in both groups were usually due to disseminated Hodgkin's disease with terminal infection; there were no infective deaths in the absence of Hodgkin's disease. The less toxic regimen of LOPP can therefore be expected to produce results similar to those seen with MOPP, and this is true regardless of the severity of the illness.