RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED STUDY OF EARLY-STAGE HODGKINS-DISEASE USING ABVD, EBVD, OR MBVD

From January 1986 to December 1989, 157 previously untreated patients, with Hodgkin's disease stage I or II without bulky disease, were enro lled in a clinical comparative study. The objectives of the study were to compare the efficacy and safety of using epirubicine or mitoxantro ne instead of adriamycin in the combination chemotherapy regimen ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine). The complete re sponse rate was better in the patients treated with the ABVD or EBVD r egimens compared to the MBVD arm. Also, differences in overall surviva l and relapse-free survival were better in the patients who received A BVD or EBVD compared to the MBVD regimen. Hematological, gastrointesti nal and cardiac toxicity were similar in the three groups. Dose intens ity, delays and complications were also similar in the three groups. T he mitoxantrone-containing regimen was found to have less efficacy in comparison to the other regimens tested in the present study in patien ts with favorable stage I or II Hodgkin's disease. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss , Inc.