Prognostic significance of mediastinal mass in childhood Hodgkin's disease.

The records of 60 consecutive surgically staged children with newly diagnosed Hodgkin's disease were reviewed to determine the prognostic significance of the presence of a mediastinal mass. Mediastinal mass was present in 38 patients and was more common in (a) females, (b) children greater than 12 years old, (c) association with nodular sclerosis or lymphocyte depletion histology, (d) those with "B" symptoms, and (e) the presence of advanced disease stage. The presence of a mediastinal mass was associated with reduced disease-free survival, the effect being more significant with a mediastinum/thoracic ratio greater than 0.33. The presence of a mass, large or small, did not influence overall survival.