Search

Studies have shown higher survival rates for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treated within clinical trials compared to patients treated outside clinical trials. However, endpoints are often limited to overall survival (OS). In this retrospective cohort study, we investigated the effect of trial participation on OS, the incidence of relapse, second cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study population consisted of patients with HL, aged between 14 and 51 years at diagnosis, who started their treatment between 1962 and 2002 at three Dutch cancer centres. Patients were either included in the EORTC Lymphoma Group trials (H1–H9) or treated according to standard guidelines at the time. After adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, trial participation was associated with longer OS (median OS: 29.4 years [95%CI: 27.0–31.6] for treatment inside trials versus 27.4 years [95%CI: 26.0–28.5] for treatment outside trials, p =.046), a lower incidence of relapse (HR = 0.79, 95%CI: 0.63–0.98, p =.036) and a higher incidence of CVD (HR = 1.49, 95%CI: 1.23–1.79, p <.001). The trial effect for CVD was present only for patients treated before 1983. No evidence of differences in the incidence of second cancer was found. Consequently, essential results from clinical trials should be implemented into standard practice without undue delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To provide reference values for the European Organisation for Treatment and Research of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ‐C30) in advanced‐stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients and 5‐year HL survivors. The QLQ‐C30 is the most widely used cancer‐specific questionnaire to assess Health‐Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Methods: The EORTC database was searched to identify HL RCTs in which patients' and survivors' HRQoL was assessed by the QLQ‐C30. HRQoL mean scores were calculated and stratified by age and gender. Minimal important differences were used to assess the clinical relevance of the findings. Data from one RCT with HRQoL scores available at baseline (n = 343) and four RCTs with HRQoL scores available at follow‐up (n = 1665) were analyzed. Results: Patients reported worse HRQoL scores than survivors across most functioning scales and symptoms' scales. These scores varied as a function of gender but not age. Survivors' HRQoL reports were comparable to the ones of the general population. Conclusions: These values provide an assessment framework for the comparison and interpretation of QLQ‐C30 scores in advanced‐stage HL. Our findings suggest that although HL patients' HRQoL scores are worse than the general population, HRQoL scores may normalize over long‐term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]