| Abstract: | The total group of patients with Hodgkin's disease submitted to primary treatment from May 1964 till December 1976 is divided with respect to diagnostics and therapy into a preponderantly clinically assessed group (CS) treated during the years of 1964 to 1971 (n = 190) and a preponderantly surgically assessed group (PS) treated during the years of 1972 to 1976 (n = 180). The first subgroup was treated with differently large irradiation fields and, in case of combined therapy, mostly with cyclophosphamide. The second subgroup was treated with extended fields, even until total lymphoid irradiation and, in case of drug administration, with primary combined chemotherapy (MOPP). The overall five-year remission rates of both subgroups (stages I to IV) have improved from 35.4% to 54.8% (P less than or equal to 0.001) and the five-year survival rates from 67.2% to 78.2% (P less than or equal to 0.001). If a complete remission was achieved, this was obtained, as far as judgeable, already at an earlier moment in the individual groups: e.g., in stage I with 95.5% after one year as against 94.1% after five years and in stage II with 91.3% after four years as against 72.9% after seven years. The prognostic differences of stages I and II and the histologic manifestations: lymphocytic predominance, nodular sclerosis, and mixed cellularity were equalized under the therapeutic measures of the intensive treatment period. |
