Long-term results of curative irradiation in pathologically staged IA and IIA Hodgkin disease.

One hundred seventy-six patients with pathologically staged IA and IIA Hodgkin disease (HD) treated with irradiation alone were evaluated for long-term survival and freedom from relapse (FFR). Most of the patients received treatment to mantle and paraaortic fields; chemotherapy was not given except as salvage therapy. For pathologically staged IA disease, the 5-, 10-, and 15-year survival rates were 94%; the corresponding FFR rates were 96%, 93%, and 93%. For pathologically staged IIA disease, respective survival rates were 93%, 89%, and 80%, with FFR rates of 86%, 84%, and 84%. Twenty-one patients (12%) had relapse of HD; salvage therapy was successful in 11 of these patients. Pelvic recurrence was uncommon (three of 176 cases [2%]). No patient developed leukemia, and only two patients developed second malignancies (lung cancer in both cases). The authors conclude that radiation therapy is effective in treatment of early-stage HD.