Adolescent hodgkin lymphoma: are treatment results more favorable with pediatric than with adult regimens?

BACKGROUND: The aim of our work was to compare the treatment modalities and the survival rates in adolescents (14 to 21 y) with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treated with adult (A) or with pediatric (P) regimens. PROCEDURE: From January 1990 to December 2004, 134 (A) and 111 (P) adolescents with HL were treated. Male:female ratio was 1:1.48 (A) and 1:1.36 (P), the mean-age 18.6 (A) and 15.8 years (P), respectively. RESULTS: The patients were treated either with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (A) or with OPPA/OEPA +/- COPP regimens (P). About 82% (A) and 89% (P) of the patients received radiotherapy. Relapse rates were 13% (A) and 14% (P). Fourteen patients died in group (A) and 9 in group (P). There were no significant differences in the overall survival and event-free survival rates at 5 and 10 years between the 2 patient's groups. For children under age of 18 years old overall survival was 92.8 +/- 3% at 5 and 89.6 +/- 3% at 10 years in group (P) and 89.4 +/- 4% at 5 years and 83.1 +/- 6% at 10 years (P=0.2822) in group (A). For children under the age of 18 years event-free survival was 82.4 +/- 4% at 5 and 10 years in group (P) and 69.6 +/- 7% at 5 years and 59.1 +/- 8% at 10 years (P=0.0192) in group (A). CONCLUSION: In case of the patients younger than 18 years, the survival rates are more favorable by using pediatric regimens, so these patients might have a benefit if they are treated in pediatric institutes