Thirteen patients who had relapsed or failed to obtain a complete remission after
combination chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced
Hodgkin's disease were treated with subtotal or total
lymphoid irradiation with curative intent. Twelve of the 13 patients achieved a complete response (CR). Five of the 12 CRs subsequently relapsed at 3, 9, 9, 12, and 19 months. One patient died of
leukemia 11 months following
radiotherapy. The actuarial relapse-free survival at 1 year was 60%, and six patients (50%) remain disease-free with a median follow-up of 34 months (range, 10
to 115 months) following the completion of
radiotherapy. Patients who failed to obtain a CR to their initial
chemotherapy, whose
chemotherapy CR was of short duration, or who relapsed initially in extranodal sites, tended to have a worse outcome with
radiotherapy. Patients who had long disease-free intervals after initial
chemotherapy or relapsed only in nodal sites tended to do relatively well.
Radiation therapy was well tolerated with no major toxicity. Potentially curative
radiation therapy should be considered an option in the management of selected patients who relapse following
combination chemotherapy for advanced
Hodgkin's disease.