Treating Young Patients With Newly Diagnosed, Low Stage, Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin Disease

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To preserve the excellent cure rate in patients with lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin disease (LPHD) while employing a treatment strategy that minimizes the exposure to chemotherapy and radiation therapy in appropriate patients. II. To estimate the proportion of stage I patients (with a single involved lymph node that is totally resected) who can be cured with surgery alone. III. To estimate the proportions of stage I unresected, stage I resected (whose disease has recurred after observation), and stage II LPHD patients who can be cured with adriamycin (doxorubicin)/vincristine/prednisone/cyclophosphamide (AV-PC) x 3, with involved field radiation therapy (IFRT) for those who are not in a CR after chemotherapy. IV. To reduce the potential for long-term toxicity of LPHD treatment. OUTLINE: This is a pilot study. Patients with stage IA disease who underwent confirmed complete resection of a single involved lymph node at diagnosis undergo observation only\*. Patients with stage IA disease who underwent possible complete resection of a single involved lymph node at diagnosis undergo imaging at 6-7 weeks after surgery. Patients with a confirmed complete resection by imaging undergo observation only\*. Patients who do not demonstrate complete resection by imaging proceed to combination chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy. Patients with stage IA disease who underwent a fine needle aspiration of a single involved lymph node OR an incomplete resection of a single involved lymph node at diagnosis may undergo a second surgery to achieve complete resection. Patients who undergo complete resection during the second surgery undergo imaging at 6-7 weeks after surgery. Patients with a confirmed complete resection by imaging undergo observation only\*. Patients who do not undergo a second surgery OR do not achieve complete resection with the second surgery proceed to combination chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy. Patients with stage IA disease with involvement of more than 1 lymph node OR stage IIA disease proceed directly to combination chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy. NOTE: \*Patients with recurrent disease after observation only undergo biopsy and restaging and then proceed to combination chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy. (AS OF AMENDMENT #4, THE TREATMENT ARM FOR PATIENTS WHOSE CANCER RECURRED AFTER OBSERVATION ALONE IS NOW CLOSED) COMBINATION CHEMOTHERAPY: Patients receive doxorubicin hydrochloride intravenously (IV) over 10-30 minutes and cyclophosphamide IV over 1 hour on day 1, vincristine IV over 1 minute on days 1 and 8, and prednisone orally (PO) or IV two or three times daily on days 1-7. Treatment repeats every 21 days for 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients who achieve complete response (CR) after 3 courses of therapy proceed to follow-up. Patients who do not achieve a CR proceed to involved-field radiotherapy. INVOLVED-FIELD RADIOTHERAPY (IFRT): Beginning within 3 weeks after completion of combination chemotherapy, patients undergo IFRT once daily, 5 days a week for 2.8 weeks (14 treatments). Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 years, annually for 5 years, and then every 5 years for 10 years.