were not statistically significant, leading researchers to conclude that the less grueling treatment is just as effective.
“The result is very straightforward: there is more toxicity with the more intensive treatment, and there is less toxicity with the less intensive treatment,” said study author Dr. Andreas Engert, a professor of internal medicine, hematology and oncology at the University Hospital of Cologne. “Even the weakest combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy was as good as the strongest treatment combination in terms of tumor control.”
The study is published in the Aug. 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. But Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, said the findings aren’t quite that straightforward. Although researchers found only a 1.6 percent difference between the strongest versus the weakest treatment regimen, the statistical analysis leaves open the possibility that the difference could have been as large as 6.3 percent.
That means patients should interpret the findings with caution, Lichtenfeld said, including discussing any changes they want to make to their treatment regimen with their oncologists first.
Because preliminary findings from this research have already been reported, many oncologists at major cancer centers may have already incorporated them into treatment recommendations, Lichtenfeld said.
“The authors note that there remains a possibility that there could have been a difference in the outcome of about 6 percent, meaning one in 16 patients may not have done well on the less intensive treatment,” Lichtenfeld said. “I personally would not make a recommendation to a patient that they should use the least intensive treatment regimen based on these findings.”
Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which strikes about 8,500 people annually in the United States, originates in cells called lymphocytes, which are a part of the immune system, according to the American Cancer Society.