HYBRID (COPP ABV) THERAPY IN CHILDHOOD HODGKINS-DISEASE - A STUDY OF 53 CASES DURING 1989-1993 AT THE CANCER-INSTITUTE, MADRAS/

The optimal therapy for children with Hodgkin's disease is controversi al. Between 1989 and 1993, 53 children under 14 years of age with Hodg kin's disease were treated with COPP/ABV (cyclophosphamide, vincristin e, procarbazine, prednisolone/adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine) hybr id chemotherapy. The results were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier produ ct limit method for survival and the Logrank test for predicting stati stical significance. Ten patients (18.87%) had early-stage disease (I to IIA) and 43 (81.13%) had advanced disease. Lymphocyte-predominant h istology was seen in 20 (37.5%) patients, nodular sclerosis in 8 (15%) , mixed cellularity in 21 (39.6%), and lymphocyte depletion in 4 (7.56 %). The male:female ratio was 3.82:1. Complete responses were seen in 51 (96.22%) patients, with 47 (92.15%) of them in sustained first remi ssion. The event-free survival rate is 90.3% to date. COPP/ABV hybrid chemotherapy is an effective primary therapy for all stages of Hodgkin 's disease in children.