Radiation Therapy Use in Refractory and Relapsed Adolescent and Young Adult Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Report from the Children’s Oncology Group

Mailhot Vega RB, Harker-Murray PD, Forlenza CJ, Cole P, Kelly KM, Milgrom SA, Parikh RR, Hodgson DC, Castellino SM, Kahn J, Roberts KB, Constine LS, Hoppe BS. Radiation Therapy Use in Refractory and Relapsed Adolescent and Young Adult Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Report from the Children’s Oncology Group. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2023 Oct 1;117(2):400-403. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.04.022. Epub 2023 Apr 26. PubMed PMID: 37116589; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10655744.

Clear indications do not exist for consolidative radiotherapy (CRT) in relapsed and refractory pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (rrpHL). Increasing numbers of rrpHL patients are radiation naïve, as response-adapted front-line therapies omit CRT for favorable responses. We evaluated practice patterns among treating oncologists for rrpHL. A survey developed by pediatric and radiation oncologists was distributed to Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Hodgkin Lymphoma Committee members during the Fall 2021 COG meeting. Questions ascertained respondent specialty and annual rrpHL patient volumes. Respondents provided treatment recommendations for two cases. Case 1: 21-year-old female with stage IIB bulky mediastinal HL treated with ABVDx6 without initial radiotherapy with neck and mediastinal relapse and Deauville 4 (D4) response after 2 second-line chemotherapies. Case 1 was modified (modCase1) to a D2 response after second-line therapy. Case 2: 21-year-old female with non-bulky stage IIB disease treated with ABVDx6 without initial radiotherapy with splenic, mediastinal, and neck relapse and D4 activity in those sites after 2 second-line therapies. Descriptive statistics are presented.