[Comparative evaluation of subtotal irradiation and polychemotherapy in the treatment of patients with lymphogranulomatosis].

Subtotal irradiation after a method developed at the Central Research Roentgeno-Radiological Institute in St.-Petersburg was used as the first stage of antitumor treatment in 15 patients with Hodgkin's disease. In another group of 15 patients with the same disease antitumor treatment was started with a cycle of polychemotherapy. Comparison of the two types of total-system cytostatic therapy demonstrated their similar antitumor efficacy as far as the immediate results were concerned, but it also showed a higher hematologic toxicity of subtotal irradiation vs. polychemotheapy. Possibility of assessing the total dose of cytostatic exposure in multiple-modality treatment (chemoradiotherapy) is discussed.