Hodgkin's Disease - Highlights

Highlights

Radiation

• Adult patients who had Hodgkin?s disease (HD) when they were children may be at increased risk for later having a stroke. A study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reported that patients who survived childhood HD have four times the risk of stroke than other people. Researchers are investigating whether lower radiation doses may help reduce stroke risk.
• Breast cancer is a concern for young women with HD who receive radiation. A study of women who were 30 years or younger when they had chest radiation found that they had a 40% greater risk of later developing breast cancer than women not treated with radiation. However, these women were treated in the 1960s through 1990s. Newer types of radiation treatment that limit exposure, and new types of chemotherapy drugs that do not harm ovaries, may reduce breast cancer risk.

Chemotherapy

Women with HD should talk to their doctors about how chemotherapy may affect their menstrual cycles and fertility. A 2005 study indicated that women who are treated for HD after they are 30 years old are at greater risk for stopping menstruating. Taking oral contraceptives during chemotherapy may help reduce this risk. The study also found that the BEACOPP chemotherapy regimen that uses increasing drug doses may cause more menstrual problems than other types of chemotherapy regimens.

Combination Chemotherapy and Radiation

A half radiation dose may work just as well as a full dose for treating early-stage HD. In a 2005 study, 98% of patients treated with a half radiation dose and standard chemotherapy had their cancer disappear.

Transplantation

Patients who receive a stem cell transplant when they first fail to get better from chemotherapy do better than patients who have undergone several chemotherapy regimens, suggests a 2005 study. Stem cells are usually taken from a patient?s own bone marrow or blood.