Early PET scans guide de-escalation of therapy for advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma

PET scans performed following two cycles of the chemotherapeutic regimen BEACOPP can be safely used to guide subsequent treatment, according to results of an interim analysis of a phase 3 trial.

These results support the delivery of ABVD chemotherapy — which includes doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine — without hindering disease control for patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma who have a negative PET after two treatment cycles. However, PET positivity after two cycles of BEACOPP — which includes bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine (Matulane, Sigma Tau) and prednisone — appeared associated with a higher risk for disease progression. Read more.