We examined the influence of the
glutathione S-transferase mu 1 (GSTM1), theta 1 (GSTT1), and pi 1 (GSTP1) polymorphisms, which are involved in the metabolism of
alkylating agents and
anthracyclines, on the outcome of patients with
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treated with conventional
chemotherapy. Genomic
DNA from 125 consecutive cases was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and enzymatic digestion for polymorphism determination. The GSTM1 undeleted genotype was associated with more advanced
tumor stage and worse disease-free survival. The GSTT1 undeleted genotype was associated with higher recurrence rate. In contrast, higher toxicity of
chemotherapy was attributed to absence of the GSTT1 gene. Concerning overall survival, lower
tumor stage (p = 0.006) and International Prognostic Score (p = 0.02), lower peripheral leukocyte count (p = 0.0003), higher
serum albumin level (p = 0.08), and GSTT1 undeleted genotype (p = 0.04) were predictive of a better outcome of patients. In multivariate analysis comparing staging and GST polymorphism, only
tumor stage and GSTT1 genotype remained in the model. Our results suggest that the GSTT1 polymorphism influences the outcome of Brazilian patients with HL. However, studies of toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and
protein function may clarify whether carriers of the distinct genotypes should receive different doses of chemotherapeutic agents.