Laparotomy-staged IA versus IIA Hodgkin's disease. A comparative study with evaluation of prognostic factors for stage IIA disease.

Ninety-one laparotomy-staged (LAP) IA and IIA Hodgkin's disease (HD) patients were analyzed to evaluate the prognostic significance of stage, mediastinal status, extranodal disease and histology. Forty IA patients were treated with radiotherapy (XRT) only; of 51 IIA patients, 44 received XRT only and 7 had additional chemotherapy. Disease-free survival (DFS) at 5 and 10 years was 81% and 70%, respectively, with overall survival (S) of 93% and 86%, respectively. Disease-free survival for IA patients (93% at 5 and 10 years) was significantly superior to IIA (73% at 5 years, 52% at 10 years). Survival differences were not statistically significant. For IIA patients receiving XRT only, large mediastinal disease was an adverse factor for DFS. Small mediastinal disease in IIA was significantly better than no mediastinal disease. For the whole group of LAP IA and IIA treated by XRT only, three prognostic groups were identified: (1) Stage IA and Stage IIA with mediastinal disease, but less than 7.5 cm in width was highly favorable with less than 10% relapse; (2) Stage IIA nonmediastinal had an intermediate prognosis with relapse in about 33%; (3) Stage IIA large mediastinal (greater than or equal to 7.5 cm) had an unfavorable DFS with relapse in about 55%. The third group contained a highly unfavorable subset with mediastinal masses greater than 10 cm, all of whom relapsed. Salvage therapy was successful in 60% of relapsing patients. In the context of relatively effective salvage therapy, the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in adverse prognostic groups is discussed and it is concluded that the only clearly justifiable use for adjuvant chemotherapy is in patients with massive (greater than 10 cm) mediastinal adenopathy.