Abstract
In this study the clinical features and response to therapy of 34 children, 4β10 years of age, and 54 adolescents, 11β20 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 4β10βyear group (14/34), while nodular sclerosis predominated in the older patients (23/55). Remission induction and duration were not age dependent, but remission duration did differ between study and nonstudy patients. Fortyβfive 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 aggressive therapy combined with careful staging used so successfully in adults should be adhered to in younger patients.