Haema 2012; 3(3): 260-265
by Ioannis Kotsianidis, Εmmanouil Spanoudakis, Konstantinos Tsatalas
Department of Hematology, Democritus University of Thrace Medical School, Alexandroupolis, Greece
Abstract
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is one of the first cancers to be rendered curable by combination chemotherapy. Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD) is considered as the standard of care for most patients as it offers an excellent balance of efficacy and toxicity. However, though the majority of patients can be cured with ABVD or alternative regimens even in advanced stages, recurrent and refractory disease remains a significant problem. Additionally, long-term toxicity is becoming a major issue, as survivors cured of Hodgkin’s lymphoma outnumber the patients with active disease. Advances in our understanding of the pathobiology of the disease culminated in the development of novel targeted therapies, many of which have demonstrated remarkable activity in the relapsed/refractory setting and are currently investigated as frontline treatment.