Purpose: At present, treatment results for patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin's disease remain unsatisfactory. Standard chemotherapy M(C)OPP (nitrogen mustard (cyclophosphamide). vincristine, procabazine, and prednisone). ABVD (adriamycine, bleomycine, vinblastine, and dacarbacine) or M(C)OPP/ABVD +/- radiotherapy fail to achieve long-term complete remission in 35% to 50% of these patients. The BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, adriamycine, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) regimen was developed to improve treatment results by dose intensification achieved by reduced duration of treatment (time intensification) and addition of etoposide.
Patients and methods: Thirty untreated patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease stage IIB IV according to the Ann Arbor classification were treated with the time intensified BEACOPP regimen. Each patient was scheduled to receive eight cycles of chemotherapy with consolidating radiotherapy to sites of initial bulk disease and to residual tumor remaining after chemotherapy.
Results: All patients were evaluable for assessment of toxicity, treatment response, freedom from treatment failure (FFTF) and survival (SV). Of 30 treated patients, 29 patients received the intended eight cycles of BEACOPP. One patient in clinical CR, terminated the chemotherapy at his own request after six cycles and is at this time, 48 months after the end of treatment, in complete remission. Toxicity was tolerable with WHO grade 3/4 leucopenia in 28% of chemotherapy cycles and one severe (WHO grade 3) infection. No treatment-related death occurred. Cycles could generally be given on schedule. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in all but two patients (93%). At present, only one patient has relapsed. At a median follow-up of 40 months, FFTF-rate is 89% (lower confidence limit: 80%). One patient died due to progressive disease.
Conclusion: The BEACOPP regimen is feasible at moderate hematopoeitic toxicity. With a FFTF-rate of 89% at a median follow-up of 40 months, the treatment results are very encouraging. A prospective randomised trial has been initiated to compare the BEACOPP regimen with the standard COPP/ABVD regimen in advanced-stage Hodgkin's disease.