Results of a low aggressivity chemotherapy regimen (CVP/CEB) in elderly Hodgkin's disease patients.

BACKGROUND Hodgkin's disease (HD) after the age of 65 years is uncommon and there are no published data on chemotherapy regimens devised for elderly HD patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS From 1990 to 1993, 25 elderly HD patients were treated with the CVP/CEB regimen: chlorambucil 6 mg/sqm p.o. days 1 through 7, vinblastine 6 mg/sqm i.v. on day 1, procarbazine 100 mg/sqm p.o. days 1 through 7, prednisone 30 mg/sqm p.o. days 1 through 7, cyclophosphamide 500 mg./sqm i.v. day 15, etoposide 70 mg/sqm i.v. day 15, bleomycin 10 mg/sqm i.v. day 15. Each course was repeated every 4 weeks. Stage I and II patients were treated with 3 courses followed by involved field radiotherapy, while more advanced stage patients received 6 courses and radiotherapy was limited to bulky areas. The results of the CVP/CEB regimen are retrospectively compared to those of 74 elderly patients treated between 1982 and 1989 and subdivided into the following 2 groups: 32 patients treated according to the same therapy used at that time in younger patients, and 42 patients given alternative low aggressivity or palliative treatment. RESULTS CVP/CEB is a well-tolerated regimen, with only 1 (4%) toxic death and 2 (8%) protocol violations/interruptions. The CVP/CEB complete remission rate (73%) compares favorably with our previous groups of patients, mainly because of the lower toxic death rate. However, the CVP/CEB relapse-free survival rate is lower than that of patients treated with more aggressive conventional regimens (47% vs. 77%, p < 0.02). The CVP/CEB overall survival and event-free survival rates are 55% and 32%, respectively, and they are not statistically different from those of patients treated before 1990. CONCLUSIONS CVP/CEB is a well-tolerated low toxicity regimen with a high CR rate. The relapse rate is high and event-free survival is comparable to that of patients treated conventionally. Our results suggest the need for individualized treatment criteria for older patients with HD.