Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and imidazole carboxamide (ABVD) therapy for advanced Hodgkin's disease resistant to mustine, vinblastine, procarbazine and prednisolone (MVPP).

Forty-one previously treated patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease were treated with a combination chemotherapy regimen -- ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, velbe/vincristine, imidazole carboxamide). Complete remission was achieved in three patients (7%), partial remission in 23 (56%), and no response in 15 patients (37%). The median survival of the group was 12 months from the start of therapy. Survival correlated with response to treatment. No apparent benefit resulted from giving more than six courses of therapy (3 months' treatment time). There was no serious haematological toxicity in patients without bone marrow disease, and bleomycin and adriamycin toxicity was not apparent clinically or at autopsy in the dosages employed in the regime. Alopoecia was very frequent. The role for ABVD, other than as a primary induction regimen, appears to be in conjunction with other regimens in the induction of patients with adverse features at presentation or during induction; or in the salvage and palliation of patients who demonstrate a response but fail to achieve remission, either initially or at relapse, with MOPP (mustine, vincristine rpocarbazine, and prednisolone) or MVPP (mustine, vinblastine, procarbazine and prednisolone.