Treatment of early stage Hodgkin's disease with radiation therapy plus short-cycle (3 MOPP) adjuvant chemotherapy.

Eighty-four consecutive, previously untreated patients with stage I, II A-B and IIIA Hodgkin's disease were treated with combined modality therapy including subtotal or total nodal irradiation, followed by three cycles of MOPP. MOPP was administered before radiotherapy in patients with systemic symptoms or with bulky disease. Seventy-six of 84 patients (90.5%) achieved complete remission, and 8 died from disease progression after a variable period of incomplete remission. Three of 76 (3.9%) relapsed, and 2 of them have been subsequently salvaged. Up to the present time, 70 patients are alive, without evidence of disease; 9 have died from Hodgkin's disease, 2 from acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia, and 3 from intercurrent causes. No death occurred from acute toxicity due to chemotherapy. Actuarial overall survival is 82.3% and freedom from relapse is 81.8% after 48 months' median observation (range: 12-111 months). No significant difference in survival and freedom from relapse has been observed with respect to age, sex, stage, presence or absence of unfavorable prognostic factors. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy and its use in a reduced number of cycles in early stage Hodgkin's disease are discussed.