Outcomes for patients with late-relapse Hodgkin lymphoma

The authors looked at patient outcomes for those who had a late relapse of Hodgkin lymphoma. The authors suggested that survivors are at higher risk of disease recurrence than the general population, and should continue to monitor their disease status.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is generally considered a curable disease. Patients are generally considered cured if they are cancer-free 5 years after their first diagnosis. Late relapses (relapse after 5 years of being cancer-free), however, do sometimes occur.

Very few studies have been done on outcomes for patients who experience late relapse Hodgkin lymphoma (LR-HL).

This study examined patients who were cancer-free 5 years after their first diagnosis. The medical records of 4,935 HL patients were reviewed. All patients were relapse-free for at least 5 years. The average follow-up time was 10.3 years.

141 patients experienced LR-HL over the course of the study. The cumulative incidence (percentage of people who experienced LR-HL during that time period) of LR-HL at 10 years was 2.5%. The cumulative incidence was 4.3% after 15 years and 6.9% after 20 years.

LR-HL was more common in patients who had been diagnosed with early-stage favorable HL compared to patients who had unfavorable or late-stage HL at their first diagnosis. After 15 years, 5.3% of patients with favorable HL relapsed compared to 3.9% of patients with unfavorable or late-stage HL.

There was an 85-fold increased risk of HL incidence (recurrence) in patients relapse-free at 5 years, compared to the incidence of HL in the general population.

Compared to patients who relapsed within 5 years of their first diagnosis, patients with LR-HL were 40% less likely to die within the study period.

The authors concluded that following remission, patients with HL are more likely to experience disease recurrence than the general population, and should continue to monitor their disease status.

If you have been cancer-free for over 5 years, continue to talk to your doctor about monitoring your health for any potential relapse.