Suboptimal outcomes of first-line chemotherapeutic regimens for advanced stages of classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract

Background. Despite high efficacy of chemotherapy in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), a substantial proportion of patients (about 20 %) still experience relapse or refractory disease. This study was aimed to analyze efficacy and toxicity of most widely-used chemotherapy regimens for advanced-stage HL at a single center.

Materials and methods. The retrospective analysis included adult patients with advanced-stage HL (n = 107) who received treatment at the P. A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, between 2019 and 2024.

Results. Of the 107 patients, 86 received BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone) or a BEACOPP-like regimen, and 21 received ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinorelbine, dacarbazine). The overall response rate after completion of therapy was 93.5 %, and the complete metabolic response rate was 92.5 %. With a median follow-up of 26 (10–44) months, overall survival was 98.1 %, and progression-free survival was 78.5 %. Exploratory subgroup analysis showed a negative impact on progression-free survival of a high International Prognostic Score value (hazard ratio 1.13; 95 % confidence interval 2.60–6.02; p = 0.03), presence of extranodal lesions (hazard ratio 5.67; 95 % confidence interval 1.66–19.09; p = 0.006), and bone marrow involvement (hazard ratio 3.19; 95 % confidence interval 1.18–8.61; p = 0.02). Toxicity was comparable between treatment groups, although BEACOPP-like regimens were associated with higher hematologic toxicity.

Conclusion. The most commonly used chemotherapy protocols for advanced-stage HL provide only suboptimal disease control in this setting.

About the authors

M. I. Akhmedov

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia; Russian University of Medicine, Ministry of Health of Russia

Author for correspondence.
Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9646-690X
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284; 4 Dolgorukovskaya St., Moscow, 127006

P. A. Zeynalova

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia (Sechenov University); Clinical Hospital "Lapino" of the "Mother and Child" Group of Companies

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1564-424X
Russian Federation, Build. 2, 8 Trubetskaya St., Moscow, 119048; 111 1st Uspenskoe Shosse, Lapino, Moscow Region, 143081

M. A. Vernyuk

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1497-2436
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284

A. A. Tarasenkova

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia; RUDN University

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284; 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St., Moscow, 117198

S. V. Semochkin

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia; N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8129-8114
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284; 1 Ostrovityanova St., Moscow, 117513

L. S. Khayrullina

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8520-0711
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284

A. M. Chervontseva

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8498-6289
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284

I. V. Cherkashina

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7096-4700
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284

V. V. Lunin

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8689-1227
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284

M. M. Davydov

Clinical Hospital "Lapino" of the "Mother and Child" Group of Companies; Medical University MGIMO-MED

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5038-9307
Russian Federation, 111 1st Uspenskoe Shosse, Lapino, Moscow Region, 143081; 111 1st Uspenskoe Shosse, Lapino, Moscow Region, 143081

A. A. Fedenko

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4927-5585
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284

A. D. Kaprin

P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of Russia; RUDN University

Email: mobilakhmedov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8784-8415
Russian Federation, 3 2nd Botkinskiy Proezd, Moscow, 125284; 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St., Moscow, 117198

References

  1. Леонтьева А.А., Демина Е.А. Лечение распространенных стадий лимфомы Ходжкина: обзор литературы. Клиническая онкогематология. Фундаментальные исследования и клиническая практика 2015;8(3):255–66. doi: 10.21320/2500-2139-2015-8-3-255-266 Leontʼeva A., Demina E. Treatment of advanced stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma: literature review. Klinicheskaya onkogematologiya. Fundamentalnye issledovaniya i klinicheskaya praktika = Clinical Oncohematology. Basic Research and Clinical Practice 2015;8(3):255–66. (In Russ.). doi: 10.21320/2500-2139-2015-8-3-255-266
  2. Cochran H.C., Bartlett N.L. New standards in advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma: selecting a novel regimen. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2026;40(2):199–211. doi: 10.1016/j.hoc.2025.12.002
  3. Devita V.T., Serpick A.A., Carbone P.P. Combination chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced Hodgkin’s disease. Ann Intern Med 1970;73(6):881–95. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-73-6-881
  4. Bonadonna G., Zucali R., Monfardini S. et al. Combination chemotherapy of Hodgkin’s disease with adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and imidazole carboxamide versus MOPP. Cancer 1975;36(1):252–9. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197507)36:1< 252::aid-cncr2820360128> 3.0.co;2-7
  5. Diehl V., Franklin J., Hasenclever D. et al. BEACOPP: a new regimen for advanced Hodgkin’s disease. German Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Study Group. Ann Oncol 1998;9 Suppl 5:S67–71. doi: 10.1093/annonc/9.suppl_5.s67
  6. Diehl V., Franklin J., Hasenclever D. et al. BEACOPP, a new dose-escalated and accelerated regimen, is at least as effective as COPP/ABVD in patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma: interim report from a trial of the German Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Study Group. J Clin Oncol 1998;16(12):3810–21. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1998.16.12.3810
  7. Carde P., Karrasch M., Fortpied C. et al. Eight cycles of ABVD versus four cycles of BEACOPPescalated plus four cycles of BEACOPPbaseline in stage III to IV, International Prognostic Score ≥ 3, high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma: first results of the phase III EORTC 20012 intergroup trial. J Clin Oncol 2016;34(17):2028–36. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.64.5648
  8. Federico M., Luminari S., Iannitto E. et al. ABVD compared with BEACOPP compared with CEC for the initial treatment of patients with advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma: results from the HD2000 Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio dei Linfomi Trial. J Clin Oncol 2009;27(5):805–11. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2008.17.0910
  9. Viviani S., Zinzani P.L., Rambaldi A. et al. ABVD versus BEACOPP for Hodgkin’s lymphoma when high-dose salvage is planned. N Engl J Med 2011;365(3):203–12. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1100340
  10. Engert A., Diehl V., Franklin J. et al. Escalated-dose BEACOPP in the treatment of patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma: 10 years of follow-up of the GHSG HD9 study. J Clin Oncol 2009;27(27):4548–54. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2008.19.8820
  11. André M.P.E., Carde P., Viviani S. et al. Long-term overall survival and toxicities of ABVD vs BEACOPP in advanced Hodgkin lymphoma: a pooled analysis of four randomized trials. Cancer Med 2020;9(18):6565–75. doi: 10.1002/cam4.3298
  12. Behringer K., Mueller H., Goergen H. et al. Gonadal function and fertility in survivors after Hodgkin lymphoma treatment within the German Hodgkin Study Group HD13 to HD15 trials. J Clin Oncol 2013;31(2):231–9. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2012.44.3721
  13. Cheson B.D., Fisher R.I., Barrington S.F. et al. Recommendations for initial evaluation, staging, and response assessment of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: the Lugano classification. J Clin Oncol 2014;32(27):3059–68. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2013.54.8800
  14. Johnson P., Federico M., Kirkwood A. et al. Adapted treatment guided by interim PET-CT scan in advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma. N Engl J Med 2016;374(25):2419–29. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1510093
  15. Borchmann P., Goergen H., Kobe C. et al. PET-guided treatment in patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HD18): final results of an open-label, international, randomised phase 3 trial by the German Hodgkin Study Group. Lancet 2017;390(10114): 2790–802. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32134-7
  16. Casasnovas R.O., Bouabdallah R., Brice P. et al. PET-adapted treatment for newly diagnosed advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (AHL2011): a randomised, multicentre, non-inferiority, phase 3 study. Lancet Oncol 2019;20(2):202–15. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30784-8
  17. Демина Е.А., Леонтьева А.А., Тумян Г.С. и др. Оптимизация терапии первой линии у пациентов с распространенными стадиями лимфомы Ходжкина: эффективность и токсичность интенсивной схемы ЕАСОРР-14 (опыт ФГБУ «НМИЦ онкологии им. Н.Н. Блохина» Минздрава России). Клиническая онкогематология. Фундаментальные исследования и клиническая практика 2017;10(4):443–52. doi: 10.21320/2500-2139-2017-10-4-443-452 Demina E.A., Leont’eva A.A., Tumyan G.S. et al. First-line therapy for patients with advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma: efficacy and toxicity of intensive ЕАСОРР-14 program (N.N. Blokhin National Medical Cancer Research Center Data). Klinicheskaya onkogematologiya. Fundamentalnye issledovaniya i klinicheskaya praktika = Clinical Oncohematology. Basic Research and Clinical Practice 2017;10(4):443–52. (In Russ.). doi: 10.21320/2500-2139-2017-10-4-443-452
  18. Ansell S.M., Radford J., Connors J.M. et al. Overall survival with brentuximab vedotin in stage III or IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma. N Engl J Med 2022;387(4):310–20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2206125
  19. Herrera A.F., LeBlanc M., Castellino S.M. et al. Nivolumab + AVD in advanced-stage classic Hodgkin’s lymphoma. N Engl J Med 2024;391(15):1379–89. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2405888
  20. Borchmann P., Ferdinandus J., Schneider G. et al. Assessing the efficacy and tolerability of PET-guided BrECADD versus eBEACOPP in advanced-stage, classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HD21): a randomised, multicentre, parallel, open-label, phase 3 trial. Lancet 2024;404(10450):341–52. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01315-1
  21. Brahmer J.R., Drake C.G., Wollner I. et al. Phase I study of single-agent anti-programmed death-1 (MDX-1106) in refractory solid tumors: safety, clinical activity, pharmacodynamics, and immunologic correlates. J Clin Oncol 2010;28(19):3167–75. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2009.26.7609
  22. Patil V., Noronha V., Joshi A. et al. Low doses in immunotherapy: are they effective? Cancer Res Stat Treat 2019;2(1):54. doi: 10.4103/CRST.CRST_29_19
  23. Akhmedov M., Zeynalova P., Fedenko A., Kaprin A. Low-dose PD-1 inhibition in relapsed/refractory classic Hodgkin lymphoma: systematic review and meta-analysis. Invest New Drugs 2025;43(4):1013–21. doi: 10.1007/s10637-025-01565-0
  24. Colunga-Pedraza P.R., Vaquera-Alfaro H.A., Guzmán-Martínez Z. et al. Optimizing resources: low-dose nivolumab combinations in the management of relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. Ann Hematol 2024;103(12):5607–14. doi: 10.1007/s00277-024-06098-9
  25. Akhmedov M., Zeynalova P., Vernyuk M. et al. Low-dose nivolumab combined with AVD chemotherapy (Nivo40-AVD) for advanced stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma. Blood 2025;146(Suppl 1):1855. doi: 10.1182/blood-2025-1855

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML

Copyright (c) 2026 ABV-press

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: серия ПИ № ФС 77-36928 от  21.07.2009.