S0816 Fludeoxyglucose F 18-PET/CT Imaging and Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Additional Chemotherapy and G-CSF in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Hodgkin Lymphoma

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To estimate the 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) of HIV-negative patients with stage III-IV Hodgkin lymphoma treated with response-adapted therapy based on fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG)-PET imaging after 2 courses of doxorubicin hydrochloride, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD). * To estimate the 2-year PFS of patients who are PET-positive after treatment with 2 courses of ABVD and an escalated dose regimen comprising cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, etoposide, vincristine sulfate, bleomycin, procarbazine hydrochloride, and prednisone (BEACOPP). Secondary * To estimate the 2-year overall survival (OS) of patients treated with these regimens. * To estimate the response rate (i.e., complete and partial responses) in patients treated with these regimens. * To evaluate the toxicity of these response-adapted regimens. * To document the feasibility of centralized, real-time review of FDG-PET imaging for U.S. cooperative group studies. * To prospectively evaluate the overall response rate, complete response rate, PFS, and OS of HIV-positive patients treated with these response-adapted regimens. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. All patients undergo baseline whole-body fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG)-PET/CT imaging before beginning chemotherapy. Patients then receive doxorubicin hydrochloride IV, bleomycin IV, vinblastine IV, and dacarbazine IV (ABVD) on days 1 and 15. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Between days 22 and 25 of course 2, patients undergo a second FDG-PET/CT scan to assess response. Subsequent therapy is based on FDG-PET/CT scan results. Patients are stratified according to FDG-PET positivity (yes vs no). Patients who are FDG-PET-negative continue treatment with ABVD for up to 4 additional courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients who are FDG-PET-positive are then further stratified according to HIV positivity (yes or no) and receive 1 of the following treatment regimens: * Escalated-dose BEACOPP chemotherapy: HIV-negative patients receive escalated-dose BEACOPP chemotherapy comprising doxorubicin hydrochloride IV and cyclophosphamide IV on day 1, etoposide IV on days 1-3, oral procarbazine hydrochloride on days 1-7, oral prednisone on days 1-14, and bleomycin IV and vincristine IV on day 8. Patients receive filgrastim (G-CSF) subcutaneously on days 8-14. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. * Standard-dose BEACOPP chemotherapy: HIV-positive patients receive standard dose BEACOPP chemotherapy comprising doxorubicin hydrochloride IV and cyclophosphamide IV on day 1, etoposide IV on days 1-3, oral procarbazine hydrochloride on days 1-7, oral prednisone on days 1-14, and bleomycin IV and vincristine IV on day 8. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Six to eight weeks after completion of chemotherapy, patients undergo a post-treatment FDG-PET/CT scan. Some patients may undergo bone marrow biopsy at 1 month after the last course of chemotherapy. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up periodically for 7 years.