Hodgkin's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hodgkin's Disease, including details on causes, cancer, lymphoma, stages, symptoms.

Independent prognostic effect of co-morbidity in lymphoma patients: results of the population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry.

van Spronsen DJ, Janssen-Heijnen ML, Lemmens VE, Peters WG, Coebergh JW

Department of Medical Oncology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

The prevalence of co-morbidity among elderly lymphoma patients is associated with a decrease in the use of chemotherapy. This study assessed the independent prognostic effect of co-morbidity in 1551 unselected lymphoma patients, diagnosed between 1995 and 2001 in the area of the population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry. The prevalence of serious co-morbidity was 58% for patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) who were over 60 years of age and 66% for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) who were over 60 years of age. The administration of chemotherapy declined in the presence of co-morbidity for elderly patients with early-stage HD and elderly patients with aggressive NHL. Co-morbidity was associated with a 10-20% decline in 5-year survival. Whether less frequent application of chemotherapy in the presence of co-morbidity is justified as far as complications, prognosis and quality of life are concerned requires further investigation.

Published 2 May 2005 in Eur J Cancer, 41(7): 1051-7.
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