SALVAGE RADIOTHERAPY FOLLOWING CHEMOTHERAPY FAILURE IN HODGKINS-DISEASE - WHAT IS ITS ROLE

Radiotherapy is rarely used as salvage therapy following chemotherapy failure in Hodgkin's disease, Analysis of our experience identified on ly 11 cases from over 400 patients treated, and data from other centre s are similarly sparse, Three (43%) of 7 patients with relapse confine d to nodal sites were salvaged with radiotherapy alone, Actuarial rela pse free survival at 5 years was 27% (+/-12 SE) with survival 45% (+/- 15 SE), These data were then combined with four other detailed series in the literature to delineate the patient and disease characteristics of 60 patients, and better assess the role of salvage radiotherapy, T his confirms that radiotherapy has an important role in salvaging a sm all proportion of cases, who can be spared the risk of more aggressive regimens, such as high dose chemotherapy, Patients with relapse confi ned to one or two nodal sites, and having a disease free interval grea ter than 12 months, have the best prospects for salvage, Initial stage IV disease seems to have little bearing, provided relapse is confined to nodal sites.