Dr. Moskowitz on the Challenges of Intensifying Treatment in Hodgkin Lymphoma

Alison J. Moskowitz, MD, medical oncologist, clinical director, Lymphoma, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the challenges of intensifying treatment in Hodgkin lymphoma. 

In Hodgkin lymphoma, research efforts are ongoing to determine whether intensifying frontline treatment with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) is feasible for patients, Moskowitz says. 

The most important goal of front-line therapy is to balance efficacy with toxicity, Moskowitz explains. Moreover, it is inefficient to utilize highly aggressive regimens if the patient could encounter substantial toxicities, Moskowitz adds.

This is especially important to consider in Hodgkin Lymphoma because the primary patient population comprises younger individuals. As such, these patients likely have many decades to live, so reducing long-term toxicity is a key consideration in treatment selection, Moskowitz concludes.