EBVD combination chemotherapy plus low dose involved field radiation is a highly effective treatment modality for early stage Hodgkin's disease.

To evaluate the efficacy of EBVD combination chemotherapy followed by low dose (LD) involved field (IF) radiation therapy (RT) in patients with clinical stage (CS) I-IIA Hodgkin's disease (HD), we analyzed 148 patients treated in our Unit from March 1988 to November 1995. EBVD consisted of Epirubicine 40mg/m2, Bleomycin 10mg/m2, Vinblastine 6mg/m2 and Dacarbazine 300mg. All drugs were administered i.v. at days 1 and 15, every 4 weeks, for a total of 4-6 cycles. LDIF RT (24-32Gy) was scheduled for patients with complete response (CR) or >90% reduction of tumor load, after EBVD. Patients with stable or progressive disease (SD, PD) after EBVDx3 or poor compliance to the regimen received mantle or inverted Y RT at standard dose. The median follow-up of patients currently alive was 71.5 months. 129 patients achieved a CR after EBVD and 10 a >90% reduction of tumor load, for a post-CT response rate of 94%. Eight patients had SD after EBVDx3 and one had a partial response with poor compliance. All 9 patients rec...