ABVD Therapy Without G-CSF for Hodgkin Lymphoma: Further Evidence

This retrospective study verifies a smaller study, which showed that ABVD chemotherapy can be administered safely at full dose-intensity without cytokine support and without increased risk for infection or adverse outcome.

ABVD (doxorubicin [Adriamycin], bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) is standard therapy for patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and it is also used in conjunction with radiotherapy for limited-stage disease. Investigators in Chicago retrospectively reviewed the therapeutic outcomes and toxicities for 59 newly diagnosed HL patients who were treated with ABVD from 1996 through 2005. ABVD was administered without dose reduction or treatment delay regardless of patients’ absolute neutrophil count on the scheduled day of treatment. Cytokine support with granulocyte colony–stimulating factor (G-CSF) was not used.

A dose intensity of 99% was achieved, and fewer than 1% of treatment cycles were complicated by febrile neutropenia. Only…

Reviewing Author

Michael E. Williams, MD