Treatment of Hodgkin's Disease in Japan

—A Retrospective Study on 70 Cases of 3 Instituts—

Abstract

In order to explore the problems on treatment of Hodgkin's disease in Japan, we studied seventy patients who were diagnosed and treated as having Hodgkin's disease at Nihon University Hospital, Chiba Cancer Center and Saitama Cancer Center between August 1974 and April 1985. All the biopsied materials were reviewed and the diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease were confirmed in fity four cases by two pathologists, who were members of the Lymphoma Study Group in Japan. Pathological classification and staging were reviewed on these 54 cases. Therapy and survival were studied retrospectivly on 52 treated patients. The conclusions were as follows:
(1) Although nodular sclerosis of Hodgkin's disease is less common in Japan than in the United States, low incidence of this type could not explain the poor therapeutic results in Japan.
(2) Results of treatment for Hodgkin's disease with stage I-II were not acceptable. Proper radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy, based on accurate diagnosis for extension of the disease by the precise staging procedures including lymphography and whole body CT should improve the prognosis of early stage Hodgkin's disease.
(3) Since original MOPP therapy cannot be administer to the patients in Japan, intensive combination chemotherapy including Adriamycin would be recommended for treatment of Hodgkin's disease in stage III or IV.
(4) It is important to set up a standard therapy for Hodgkin's disease in Japan.