Purpose: To evaluate the long-term results of salvage radiotherapy (SRT) for Hodgkin's lymphoma after chemotherapy failure.
Methods and materials: We reviewed 81 patients undergoing SRT for persistent or recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma after chemotherapy; 19 also received conventional-dose salvage chemotherapy.
Results: At SRT, the median patient age was 31 years. Of the 81 patients, 81% had Stage I-II, 25.9% had B symptoms, 14.8% had bulky disease, and 7.4% had extranodal disease. A less than a complete response (CR) to the last chemotherapy regimen occurred in 47%. SRT was generally limited to one side of the diaphragm, and the median dose was 36 Gy. After SRT, 75% of patients achieved a CR, with 82% retaining durable in-field control. In-field failure was associated with less than a CR to the last chemotherapy regimen (p = 0.0287). Most failures were at distant sites, with 60% in previously involved sites. The 10-year freedom from treatment failure and overall survival rates were 32.8% and 45.7%, respectively. The adverse prognostic factors for freedom from treatment failure were age >50 years (p < 0.001), B symptoms (p < 0.001), extranodal disease (p = 0.012), and less than a CR to the last chemotherapy regimen (p = 0.001). The adverse prognostic factors for overall survival were male gender (p = 0.034), age >50 years (p < 0.001), B symptoms (p = 0.002), and less than a CR to the last chemotherapy regimen (p = 0.002). Favorable cohorts had a 10-year freedom from treatment failure rate of 51% and overall survival rate of 92%.
Conclusions: Salvage radiotherapy is effective for selected patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma after chemotherapy failure and should be considered for incorporation into salvage programs.