Report from the Rockefellar Foundation Sponsored International Workshop on reducing mortality and improving quality of life in long-term survivors of Hodgkin's disease: July 9-16, 2003, Bellagio, Italy

A workshop, sponsored by the Rockefellar Foundation, was held between 9 to 16 July, 2003 to devise strategies to reduce mortality and improve quality of life of long-term survivors of Hodgkin's disease. Participants were selected for their clinical and research background on late effects after Hodgkin's disease therapy. Experts from both developed and developing nations were represented in the workshop, and efforts were made to ensure that the proposed strategies would be globally applicable whenever possible. The types of late complications, magnitude of the problem, contributing risk factors, methodology to assess the risk, and challenges faced by developing countries were presented. The main areas of late effects of Hodgkin's disease discussed were as follows: second malignancy, cardiac disease, infection, pulmonary dysfunction, endocrine abnormalities, and quality of life. This report summarizes the findings of the workshop, recommendations, and proposed research priorities in each of the above areas.