Background: The therapeutic management in patients with stage IV Hodgkin disease is still controversial.
Procedure: Among 783 children with Hodgkin disease treated from 1971 to 1996, 56 patients (7.3%) were diagnosed with stage IV. The treatment consisted of MVPP or MVPP/B-DOPA chemotherapy combined with involved-field radiotherapy in 50 children.
Results: The results of treatment of stage IV patients were compared in the three sequential time periods, during which the therapy was modified. In these periods, the first complete remission was obtained in 67%, 86%, and 90% of children, respectively, and the 10-year event-free survival was 42%, 64%, and 85%, respectively.
Conclusions: Alternate multidrug chemotherapy combined with low-dose involved-field radiotherapy is at present a satisfactory therapeutic method in children with stage IV Hodgkin disease.
Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.