Induction therapy for advanced-stage hodgkin lymphoma: Late intensification (abvd chemotherapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant only for those who relapse)

The goal of therapy for patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma is to ensure that as many patients as possible are healthy and free of disease decades after completing treatment. To achieve this, the treating physician needs to select the most effective therapeutic regimen, but also needs to choose a treatment strategy that limits long-term toxicity. One approach to achieve this is to use a less intense combination, such as ABVD chemotherapy, as initial treatment and intensify therapy only in those patients who do not become PET negative or who subsequently relapse.