Six cycles of ABVD in the treatment of stage I and II Hodgkin's lymphoma: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy is the standard treatment in advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma and a therapeutic alternative for early stages. Although polychemotherapy with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) is equivalent or superior to mechloretamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP) in advanced disease, no series have been published using ABVD without associated radiotherapy in early stages. We report the results obtained with the administration of six cycles of ABVD alone in clinical stage I and II disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1990 to October 1994, 23 patients with stage I or II Hodgkin's lymphoma were treated with six cycles of ABVD; six patients who met the criteria for mediastinal bulky disease also received radiotherapy to the mediastinum. RESULTS: After six cycles, 20 complete responses (CRs) and three partial responses (PRs), which became CRs after radiotherapy, were obtained. Toxicity was moderate and manageable. With a median follow-up duration of 37 months (range, 12 to 75), three patients have relapsed and one has died. Overall and progression-free survival rates at 42 months are 95% and 84%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Six cycles of ABVD are effective and safe in the treatment of stage I and II Hodgkin's lymphoma, at least in the short term, but long-term observation data are not yet available.