Secondary malignant neoplasms in patients with Hodgkin's disease

Retrospective analysis of 232 cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) treated at the University of Manitoba from Jan. 1, 1965, to Dec 31, 1973, and followed up to 44.3 months disclosed five cases of secondary malignant neoplasms. Two cases of acute leukemia were discovered compared with an expected value of 0.05 in our community. All neoplasms developed in the mixed cellularity group, representing only 28% of the HD cases. Combinations of radiotherapy and chemotherapy may have increased the incidence of leukemia, but its frequency does not appear high enough to abandon combined modality treatment.