Baseline characteristics of analyzed patients
| Characteristics . | n (%) . |
|---|---|
| Number of patients | 20 |
| Age | |
| Median (range), y | 40 (23-54) |
| Sex | |
| Female | 12 (60) |
| Male | 8 (40) |
| Histological subtypes | |
| Nodular sclerosis | 16 (80) |
| Mixed cellularity | 3 (15) |
| Lymphocyte rich | 1 (5) |
| Frontline therapy received | |
| ABVD, 4 courses | 5 (25) |
| ABVD, 6 courses | 15 (75) |
| Radiotherapy after ABVD | 6 (30) |
| Response to frontline therapy | |
| Primary refractory | 11 (55) |
| Relapsed | |
| CR ≤1 y | 5 (25) |
| CR >1 y | 4 (20) |
| Number of previous treatments | |
| 2 | 5 (25) |
| 3-4 | 14 (70) |
| >4 | 1 (5) |
| Median (range) | 3 (2-6) |
| Previous salvage therapy* | |
| IGEV | 16 (80) |
| DHAP | 7 (35) |
| Bv | 5 (25) |
| BEACOPP | 1 (5) |
| Radiotherapy | 1 (5) |
| Transplant | |
| Autologous HSCT | 5 (25) |
| At the time of Bv+Bs start | |
| Characteristics of disease | |
| ≥3 nodal sites involved | 12 (60) |
| Extranodal involvement | 10 (50) |
| Mediastinal bulky | 6 (30) |
| Bone marrow involvement | 1 (5) |
| LDH > normal limits | 7 (35) |
| ESR >50 | 6 (30) |
| Ann Arbor/Cotswold staging† | |
| I-II | 6 (30) |
| III-IV | 14 (70) |
| B symptoms | 11 (55) |
| ECOG-PS | |
| 0-1 | 14 (70) |
| ≥2 | 6 (30) |
| Characteristics . | n (%) . |
|---|---|
| Number of patients | 20 |
| Age | |
| Median (range), y | 40 (23-54) |
| Sex | |
| Female | 12 (60) |
| Male | 8 (40) |
| Histological subtypes | |
| Nodular sclerosis | 16 (80) |
| Mixed cellularity | 3 (15) |
| Lymphocyte rich | 1 (5) |
| Frontline therapy received | |
| ABVD, 4 courses | 5 (25) |
| ABVD, 6 courses | 15 (75) |
| Radiotherapy after ABVD | 6 (30) |
| Response to frontline therapy | |
| Primary refractory | 11 (55) |
| Relapsed | |
| CR ≤1 y | 5 (25) |
| CR >1 y | 4 (20) |
| Number of previous treatments | |
| 2 | 5 (25) |
| 3-4 | 14 (70) |
| >4 | 1 (5) |
| Median (range) | 3 (2-6) |
| Previous salvage therapy* | |
| IGEV | 16 (80) |
| DHAP | 7 (35) |
| Bv | 5 (25) |
| BEACOPP | 1 (5) |
| Radiotherapy | 1 (5) |
| Transplant | |
| Autologous HSCT | 5 (25) |
| At the time of Bv+Bs start | |
| Characteristics of disease | |
| ≥3 nodal sites involved | 12 (60) |
| Extranodal involvement | 10 (50) |
| Mediastinal bulky | 6 (30) |
| Bone marrow involvement | 1 (5) |
| LDH > normal limits | 7 (35) |
| ESR >50 | 6 (30) |
| Ann Arbor/Cotswold staging† | |
| I-II | 6 (30) |
| III-IV | 14 (70) |
| B symptoms | 11 (55) |
| ECOG-PS | |
| 0-1 | 14 (70) |
| ≥2 | 6 (30) |
Values are n (%) unless otherwise noted.
ABVD, doxorubicin 25 mg/m2 IV on days 1 and 15, bleomycin 10 IU/m2 IV on days 1 and 15, vinblastine 6 mg/m2 IV on days 1 and 15, dacarbazine 375 mg/m2 IV on days 1 and 15; IGEV, ifosfamide 2000 mg/m2 IV on days 1 to 4, gemcitabine 800 mg/m2 IV on days 1 and 4, vinorelbine 20 mg/m2 IV on day 1, and prednisolone 100 mg orally on days 1 to 4; BEACOPP (escalated), bleomycin 10 UI/m2 IV on day 8, etoposide 200 mg/m2 IV on days 1 to 3, doxorubicin 35 mg/m2 IV on day 1, cyclophosphamide 1250 mg/m2 IV on day 1, vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 IV on day 8, procarbazine 100 mg/m2 orally on days 1 to 7, prednisone 40 mg/m2 orally on days 1 to 14; DHAP, cisplatin 100 mg/m2 by continuous IV infusion over 24 hours, followed by cytosine arabinoside IV in 2 pulses each at a dose of 2 g/m2 given 12 hours apart. Dexamethasone, 40 mg IV, was given on days 1 through 4; Bv, at a dosage of 1.8 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks for a median of 3 courses (range, 2-4); ECOG-PS, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group–Performance Status; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase.
Four patients received several lines of salvage therapy, before Bv+Bs regimen.
Stage I is defined as involvement of 1 nodal group or lymphoid organ; stage II is defined as involvement of 2 or more nodal groups on the same side of diaphragm; stage III is defined as involvement of nodal groups on both sides of the diaphragm; and stage IV is defined as disseminated involvement of 1 or more extralymphatic organs (eg, lung, bone) with or without any nodal involvement.