Is Stanford V chemotherapy effective in early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma?

This study examined the safety and effectiveness of the Stanford V chemotherapy combination in patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma. The authors concluded that Stanford V was effective in the long-term in these patients.

Early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (stages I-II) is considered to be a curable disease. Treatment with chemotherapy and radiation can lead to a remission (absence of disease) rate of over 80%. The standard chemotherapy regimen for early-stage disease is ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine). Treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma can often lead to negative side effects. These effects can occur both during treatment and long after treatment has ended.

Stanford V is a combination of the chemotherapies mechlorethamine, doxorubicin, vinblastine, vincristine, bleomycin, etoposide, and prednisone. Stanford V has been shown to be effective in patients with more advanced Hodgkin lymphoma. It is not clear whether Stanford V is effective in patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma.

This study examined the safety and effectiveness of Stanford V in 87 patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma. All patients received 8 weeks of treatment with Stanford V along with radiation. Patients were followed for an average of 10.6 years.

The 10-year freedom from disease progression rate was 94%. The overall survival (time from treatment until death from any cause) rate was 94%. Five patients relapsed, four of which occurred at an average of 16 months following treatment.

During treatment 7% of patients experienced negative side effects. These effects included constipation, abdominal pain, and pain or numbness in the hands, legs, or feet. 44% required a dose delay or reduction of one dose due to low levels of white blood cells. There were no treatment-related deaths.

This study determined that Stanford V is a safe and effective chemotherapy combination for patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma.