If caught early, Hodgkin's lymphoma can usually be cured and most patients are living many years after their diagnosis. However, they often must live with side effects caused by the treatment. In this study, doctors wanted to see if they could reduce the amount of radiation given to patients in order to cut down on side effects and still cure them of their cancer.
Between May 1998 and May 2002, researchers studied 1,131 patients to see whether giving patients chemotherapy and reducing the amount of radiation (from 30 Gy to 20 Gy) would cure their cancer. The results showed that more than 98 percent of patients receiving the reduced treatment experienced complete remission from their disease. Only 2.5 percent of the patients relapsed during the study's two years of observation and 13 patients died from the disease during the course of the study.
"Although this was an interim study, the results are very encouraging that we can cure patients with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma of their cancer while reducing the amount of radiation we give them, thus allowing them to have a higher quality of life after treatment," said Hans Theodor Eich, M.D., lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at the University of Cologne in Cologne, Germany.
For more information on radiation therapy for Hodgkins lymphoma, please visit www.rtanswers.org or call 1-800-986-7876 for a free brochure.
If you would like a copy of the abstract, "Comparison of 30 Gy Versus 20 Gy Involved Field Radiotherapy After Two Versus Four Cycles ABVD in Early-Stage Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Interim Analysis of the German Hodgkin Study Group Trial HD10," or you would like to speak to the lead author of the study, Hans Theodor Eich, M.D., please call Beth Bukata or Nick Lashinsky October 16-20 in the ASTRO Press Room at the Colorado Convention Center at 303-228-8454 or 303-228-8455. You may also e-mail them at bethb@astro.org or nickl@astro.org.
ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 8,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to the advancement of the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare environment.