Long-Term Results From MOPPEBVCAD Chemotherapy With Optional Limited Radiotherapy in Advanced Hodgkin’s Disease

• Published in: Blood 1998-04, Vol.91 (8), p.2704-2712
• Main Authors: Gobbi, Paolo G., Pieresca, Carla, Ghirardelli, Maria L., DiRenzo, Nicola, Federico, Massimo, Merli, Francesco, Iannitto, Emilio, Pitini, Vincenzo, Grignani, Giovanni, Donelli, Amedea, Carotenuto, Mario, Silingardi, Vittorio, Ascari, Edoardo, Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio dei Linfomi, the
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - administration & dosage; Biological and medical sciences; Combined Modality Therapy; Combined treatments (chemotherapy of immunotherapy associated with an other treatment); Disease-Free Survival; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hodgkin Disease - drug therapy; Hodgkin Disease - physiopathology; Hodgkin Disease - radiotherapy; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Remission Induction; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0006-4971; 1528-0020
• DOI: 10.1182/blood.V91.8.2704.2704_2704_2712

The purpose was to verify the 5-year results of the MOPPEBVCAD chemotherapy regimen with limited radiotherapy in relation to the promising preliminary data. Mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone, epidoxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, lomustine, melphalan, and vindesine were delivered according to a schedule derived through hybridization, intensification, and shortening of the corresponding alternating CAD/MOPP/ABV regimen. Radiotherapy was restricted to sites of bulky involvement or to areas that responded incompletely to chemotherapy. This multicenter, controlled, nonrandomized trial involved 145 eligible patients. Radiotherapy was administered to 47 patients, 46 of whom were in complete remission after chemotherapy. Remissions were complete in 137 patients (94%), partial in 4 (3%), and null in the remaining 4. Tumor-specific, overall, relapse-free, and failure-free survival at 5 years were 0.89, 0.86, 0.82, and 0.78, respectively. Hematologic toxicity was considerable, whereas nonhematologic side effects were fully acceptable. Most of the unfavorable prognostic factors lost their clinical weight. Only age and lymphocyte depletion histologic type were statistically correlated with major follow-up endpoints; performance status and bone marrow involvement were subordinate to age. Seven patients developed a second cancer (including 3 myelodysplasias). MOPPEBVCAD with selected radiotherapy is a highly effective regimen in advanced Hodgkin’s disease. Early and late toxicity are no more severe than what would be expected with other alternating or hybrid regimens. A comparison with ABVD, which is currently considered the standard regimen for advanced Hodgkin’s disease, is needed.