The clinical value of tumor burden at diagnosis in Hodgkin lymphoma

BACKGROUND. The authors investigated the clinical role of tumor burden (TB) in
patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, relating this parameter to most of the current
clinical and prognostic factors and to the best predictive multifactorial models.
METHODS. The volume of TB at diagnosis was measured directly from the initial
staging computed tomography scans in 351 patients who were treated on standard
protocols. The mean patient age was 34.0 years 16.4 years. Forty-six patients had
clinical Stage I disease, 201 patients had Stage II disease, 64 patients had Stage III
disease, and 40 patients had Stage IV disease. There were 146 symptomatic patients.
Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and time to treatment
failure (TTF) were the time parameters evaluated in the multivariate analysis.
Logistic regression was applied according to those who achieved or failed complete
remission.
RESULTS. The mean TB normalized to body surface area (rTB) was 137.8 cm3/m2
124.7 cm3/m2 (range, 1.9–694.5 cm3/m2). In multivariate analysis, rTB was the
best predictor of TTF, DFS, and complete remission; the second best predictor of
OS after patient age; and largely superior to all prognostic models analyzed. For the
same stage and treatment, patients who were destined to clinical failure had an
initial rTB 60–108% higher compared with the initial rTB in patients who achieved
a cure, whereas differences in drug dose intensity were not significant.
CONCLUSIONS. In the current study, it was found that the rTB, as a prognostic
factor, was more effective than and was independent of hitherto used factors and
scores. The rTB may be a tool for evaluating the curative potential of treatment
combinations, allowing physicians and patients to make better therapeutic choices
earlier.