Outcomes of Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma; A retrospective review of
children and adolescents with Hodgkin lymphoma treated at King Fahad
Medical City, Riyadh, 2006-2017
Abstract
Background: Treatment outcomes for children and adolescents with Hodgkin
lymphoma (HL) have improved over the past few decades. Most patients
achieve long-term remission with a five-year survival of approximately
90%, as reported by different treatment groups in developed countries.
However, there are limited data on the outcome of patients treated in
developing countries. Here we report the outcomes of children and
adolescents treated at a comprehensive cancer center in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. Procedure: A retrospective review of the medical records of all
pediatric patients younger than 16 years who were diagnosed with HL from
July 2006 through December 2017 was performed. Results: Of the 54
patients with HL, 70.37% were boys with a median age of 9 years (mean ±
SD, 9.11 ± 3.30). A total of 51.85% had B symptoms and 33.33% had
bulky disease. The nodular sclerosis type was the most common
histological subtype (48.15%). In total, 74.07% of the patients
presented with advanced stage III and IV disease. The three-years
relapse-free survival rate was approximately 82%, and the three overall
survival (OS) rate was more than 95%. Conclusions: Survival outcomes in
children and adolescents with HL in Saudi Arabia have improved with a
five‐year OS rate now exceeding 85%. However, further prospective
larger collaborative studies are necessary.