Prospective Non Randomized Study With Chemotherapy in Patients With Hodgkin's Disease and HIV Infection: "Stanford V Regimen" For "Low Risk" Patients, "EBVP Regimen" For "High Risk" Patients

OBJECTIVES:

• Investigate the effects on survival, life expectancy and quality, toxicity, and immunological status in low risk patients with Hodgkin's Disease and HIV infection treated with the Stanford V regimen and in high risk patients treated with epirubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and prednisone.

OUTLINE: Patients are stratified into 2 groups designated as low and high risk on the basis of ECOG performance status (0-2 vs 3-4), presence or absence of AIDS before the diagnosis of Hodgkin's Disease, and immune status (CD4+ cell count greater vs no greater than 100/mm^3).

• Low risk patients (those with no risk factors) receive the EBVP regimen, as follows:

• Epirubicin intravenously on day 1

• Bleomycin intramuscularly or intravenously on day 1

• Vinblastine intravenously on day 1

• Prednisone orally on days 1-5

• Patients also receive daily injections of filgrastim (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; G-CSF) on days 6-15. This schedule is repeated every 3 weeks for 6 courses.

• High risk patients (those with one or more risk factors) receive the Stanford V regimen, as follows: