Curability of Advanced Hodgkin's Disease with Chemotherapy

Abstract

The results of 198 patients with Hodgkin''s disease with MOPP (mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisone) were analyzed. Eighty percent attained complete remission; 68% of the patients achieving a complete remission remained disease free beyond 10 yr from the end of treatment. Results of autopsy on patients who died of other causes while in clinical complete remission did not show evidence of residual tumors except in 1 patient. Asymptomatic patients and patients with mixed-cellularity or lymphocytic-depleted Hodgkin''s disease do significantly better than symptomatic patients and those with nodular sclerosing histologic type. Advanced Hodgkin''s disease appears to be curable by chemotherapy.