Comparison of the clinical course of Hodgkin's disease in children and adolescents.

In this study the clinical features and response to therapy of 34 children, 4--10 years of age, and 54 adolescents, 11--20 years of age, were compared. The therapeutic response in patients in this series entered on a formal protocol was compared with nonstudy patients. The 2 age groups had similar sex ratios, characterized by male predominance, and age was not a determining factor in the extent of disease at diagnosis. By contrast, the distribution of histopathology varied between children and adolescents: mixed cellularity was most prevalent in the 4--10-year group (14/34), while nodular sclerosis predominated the older patients (23/55). Remission induction and duration were not age dependent, but remission duration did differ between study and nonstudy patients. Forty-five of 57 patients in the former group remain in continuous complete remission compared to 7 of 31 in the latter group. From these results we conclude that the clinical course of Hodgkin's disease is similar in children and adolescents and that the agressive therapy combined with careful staging used so successfully in adults should be adhered to in younger patients.