A novel approach using medical scan imagery could assist doctors in saving Hodgkin lymphoma patients from the excessive side effects of chemotherapy a new study indicates. Researchers discovered that PET-CT scan imaging can pinpoint which Hodgkin lymphoma patients will respond more effectively to treatment, thus, having to avoid as much chemotherapy.
“The good news is that the majority of people diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma can be cured — in this trial more than 95 percent of patients are alive after three years. But we worry about the long-term side effects from the treatments we use,” study leader Peter Johnson, a professor of medical oncology at the University of Southampton in England.
And “As we’ve done in this trial, personalizing treatment based on how well it works is a major development for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, and sets a new standard of care.”
PET scans were administered to over 1,200 patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma who had received two doses of standard chemotherapy. Patients with a clear scan continued chemotherapy treatment without the drug bleomycin; those that showed a less clear scan indicating a more robust form of the blood cancer continued chemotherapy with bleomycin.
Bleomycin has been given to those with Hodgkin lymphoma for 30 years analysts said. The drug, however, can prompt scarring of the lungs, which can influence breathing complications.
But the study demonstrated that subjects with clear PET scans who stopped receiving bleomycin had the same survival rate as patients who continued receiving the drug therapy. “Knowing which patients have a more difficult-to-treat form of the disease means we can select those who need stronger chemotherapy, while sparing everyone else the severe side effects such as infertility,” Johnson said.
He added, “This approach, along with a reduction in the need for radiotherapy, should substantially reduce damage to healthy tissues and the risk of second cancers caused by treatments.”
Details of the study were published in the June 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Source: Arizona Daily Sun