Current therapies in Hodgkin's disease.

Abstract

Advances in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease (HD) have resulted in cure rates of greater than 80%. This remarkable achievement has occurred in the past 50 years secondary to improvements in combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Over the last several decades, with the increase in long-term survivors of HD, it has become evident that cure is not the only issue, and late side-effects of treatment, including secondary malignancies and impaired fertility, are of major concern as well. As a result, attempts to improve response and survival rates by intensifying therapy must be countered against the potential for long-term toxicity.