Clinical features and treatment outcomes of Hodgkin's lymphoma in Hong Kong Chinese

INTRODUCTION: Little information is available on the outcomes of Hodgkin's lymphoma in Chinese patients. We analyzed the clinical and histopathological characteristics, treatment types, clinical course and treatment outcomes of Hong Kong Chinese patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed from January 1991 to December 2010 were recruited. A retrospective analysis of these patients was performed. RESULTS: Sixty-seven Chinese patients (38 males and 29 females) were identified and the median age was 36 (range 16–80). Nodular sclerosis was the most common histology (54%), followed by mixed cellularity (36%). Twenty-four patients had early favorable, 20 patients had early unfavorable and 23 patients had advanced-stage diseases. The most common presentation was palpable lymph node or mass (85%) followed by fever, weight loss, night sweating and mediastinal mass. Ninety percent of patients received chemotherapy and 40% received radiotherapy as consolidation. Seven patients with stage I lymphoma received radiotherapy alone. ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) was the most commonly used chemotherapeutic regimen. Following treatment, 87% of patients achieved complete remission. Six patients relapsed after first remission and 3 achieved second remission after re-induction therapy. The 5-year overall survival of the entire cohort was 89% and the freedom from treatment failure (FFTF) at 5 years was 82%. The 5-year overall survival rate for early favorable, early unfavorable and advanced stages was 95.7%, 95.0% and 74.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the relatively low incidence of Hodgkin's lymphoma in Hong Kong Chinese, the treatment outcomes are comparable to Caucasian patients.