Initial therapy based on pretherapy risk stratification
| . | Very low risk . | Intermediate risk . | High risk . | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low risk . | Standard risk . | |||
| Characteristics | Early favorable; stage I or II; nonbulky; no B symptoms; fewer than 4 sites; age below 50 y; ESR below 50 mm/h; CHL histology | Early unfavorable; stage I or II; nonbulky; no B symptoms; 4 or more sites; age above 50 y; ESR greater than 50 mm/h | Stage I or II bulky or including B symptoms; any stage III or IV; IPS 0-2 | Stage I or II bulky or including B symptoms; any stage III or IV; IPS 3-7 |
| Therapy | ABVD (not a part of this study) | Standard BEACOPP (SB) | Standard BEACOPP (SB) | Escalated BEACOPP (EB) |
| . | Very low risk . | Intermediate risk . | High risk . | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low risk . | Standard risk . | |||
| Characteristics | Early favorable; stage I or II; nonbulky; no B symptoms; fewer than 4 sites; age below 50 y; ESR below 50 mm/h; CHL histology | Early unfavorable; stage I or II; nonbulky; no B symptoms; 4 or more sites; age above 50 y; ESR greater than 50 mm/h | Stage I or II bulky or including B symptoms; any stage III or IV; IPS 0-2 | Stage I or II bulky or including B symptoms; any stage III or IV; IPS 3-7 |
| Therapy | ABVD (not a part of this study) | Standard BEACOPP (SB) | Standard BEACOPP (SB) | Escalated BEACOPP (EB) |
CHL indicates classic Hodgkin lymphoma.
Therapy planned for initial 2 cycles for each group of patients is indicated. Patients with early unfavorable and patients with advanced disease and low score chemotherapy regimen was started with standard BEACOPP. Only patients with advanced disease and score ≥3 were started with escalated BEACOPP. Further therapy was based on results of interim scanning. Early favorable patients were in the very low-risk group and were excluded from the study.