Group develops predictor system for poorer diagnosis HL patients

A novel scoring system has been developed for pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma patients that reveals four basic factors that contribute to a worse event-free survival following treatment.

The system is known as CHIPS (Childhood Hodgkin International Prognostic Score), and according to Dr. Cindy Schwartz and her colleagues at the Children's Oncology Group,the four factors are:

-- Stage IV disease
-- Large mediastinal adenopathy
-- Albumin level of less than 3.5 g/dL
-- Fever

Giving one point for each adverse predictors, researchers concluded that the event-free survival rate in Hodgkin's patients was the following, according to the accompanying CHIPS score:

-- CHIPS score 0-1: 90%
-- CHIPS score 2: 78%
-- CHIPS score 3: 62%

Researchers enrolled only intermediate-disease patients, meaning they were unable to determine an event-free survival rate for a CHIPS score of 4.

In conclusion, they determined that 22% of an intermediate-risk patient population will likely experience an event-free survival rate of less than 80%. This knowledge will allow doctors to have a much better idea of who will and who will not respond to initial therapy, and make the appropriate treatment changes.

In 2009, Schwartz and the Children's Oncology Group developed the chemotherapy regimen ABVE-PC for pediatric Hodgkin's patients.

Source: Oncology Report