The results of Hodgkin lymphoma treatment in children in the period 1997-2006.

In this paper we present the study of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment success in children suffering from Hodgkin's disease (HD) that were treated at Hematology-oncology Department of Pediatric Clinic in Sarajevo. In retrospective study we followed all patients with HD aged 0-15 who were diagnosed with and treated for HD at Pediatric Clinic in Sarajevo over the last 10 years (1st of January 1997 - 31st of December 2006). Until 2000 we used combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy according to UKCCSG HD 9201 treatment protocol, and after the year 2000 protocol UKCCSG HD 2000 (ChlVPP / ABVD) was applied. The total number of the treated children 33. There were 17 boys (51,51 %) and 16 girls (48,49 %). In 10 patients (30,3 %) we found II A stage of HD, in 4 (12,1 %) II B stage of HD, in 6 children (18,8 %) stage III A, in 4 children (12,1 %) stage III B, in 4 children (12,1 %) stage IV A and in 5 (15,1 %) stage IV B. In 7 patients (21,2 %) relapse occurred, which demanded more aggressive chemotherapeutic treatment and radiotherapy too; while for 4 patients (12,1 %) in combination with bone marrow transplantation. Three patients (9,0 %) died. There are 30 children (91,0 %) who are alive and in either 1st or 2nd remission phase of HD. Secondary malignancies did not occur in any of the patients. Although many patients (58,1%) were diagnosed in an advanced stage of illness (III and IV) the results of HD therapy at Pediatric Clinic in Sarajevo are comparable to those in other European centers.