Approaches to improving the chemotherapy of Hodgkin's disease.

Approaches to improving the chemotherapy of Hodgkin's dis ease are presented and discussed: The dose-response (both antitumor effect and toxicity) curve for ohemotherapeutic agents is steep. Prior treatment and duration of disease have an adverse effect on response to chemotherapy. Continued treatment during remission (maintenance treatment) will prolong the duration of remission. Combined treatment at full doses with agents with qualitatively different toxicity can be employed safely. In pre liminary studies combination chemotherapy produces an "ad ditive" increase in the objective response, particularly the com plete response, rate. The implications of these studies and pro posed extensions are presented.