Curability of advanced Hodgkin's disease with chemotherapy. Long-term follow-up of MOPP-treated patients at the National Cancer Institute

Abstract

The results of treatment of 198 patients with Hodgkin's disease with MOPP (mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) were analyzed. Eighty percent attained complete remission, and 68% of patients achieving a complete remission have remained disease free beyond 10 years from the end of treatment. Results of autopsy on patients who died of other causes while in clinical complete remission did not show evidence of residual tumors except in one patient. Asymptomatic patients and patients with mixed-cellularity or lymphocytic-depleted Hodgkin's disease do significantly better than symptomatic patients and those with nodular sclerosing histologic type. Advanced Hodgkin's disease appears to be curable by chemotherapy.