Table 1.
Female patients’ characteristics
| ABVD group | BEACOPP group | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 46 | 30 (19e/11b) | NA |
| Median age in years at diagnosis (range) | 26 (range 18–39) | 26.5 (range 20–36) | p = 0.869 |
| Stage of disease prior to treatment | |||
| I | 2 (4.3 %) | 0 (0 %) | NA |
| II | 39 (84.8 %) | 10 (33.3 %) | NA |
| III | 1 (2.2 %) | 5 (16.7 %) | NA |
| IV | 4 (8.7 %) | 15 (50.0 %) | NA |
| A/B | 44 (95.7 %)/2 (4.3 %) | 21 (70.0 %)/9 (30.0 %) | p = 0.005 |
| X | 9 (19.6 %) | 9 (30.0 %) | p = 0.408 |
| E | 2 (4.3 %) | 7 (23.3 %) | p = 0.025 |
| Median number of cycles (range) | 4 (range 2–8) | 8 (range 4–8) | NA |
| CR/PR after chemotherapy | 8 (17.4 %)/38 (82.6 %) | 12 (40.0 %)/18 (60.0 %) | p = 0.036 |
| Irradiation of the pelvis | 1 (2.2 %) | 0 (0 %) | p = 1.000 |
| Number of patients receiving at least 1 cycle of eBEACOPP | 0 (0 %) | 19 (63.3 %) | NA |
| Number of patients with children before treatment | 17 (37.0 %) | 16 (53.3 %) | p = 0.154 |
| Regular cycle before treatment | 43 (93.5 %) | 28 (93.3 %) | p = 1.000 |
| Embryo/oocyte cryopreservation | 2 (4.3 %) | 0 (0 %) | p = 0.516 |
| Therapy-induced amenorrhea | 17 (37.0 %) | 23 (76.7 %) | p = 0.002 |
| Restored menses after treatment | 14 (82.4 %) | 10 (43.5 %) | p = 0.012 |
| Secondary amenorrheab | 3 (6.5 %) | 13 (43.3 %) | p = 0.003 |
| All pregnancies after treatment/in vitro fertilizationa | 21/1 (4.8 %) | 10/0 (0 %) | p = 0.630 |
| Number of patients attempting conception post-treatment | 42 (91.3 %) | 26 (86.7 %) | p = 0.879 |
| Number of patients having children after treatmentc | 19 (45.2 %) | 9 (34.6 %) | p = 0.573 |
| Menopausal problems/mean score | 17 (37 %)/4.65 | 17 (56.7 %)/6.05 | p = 0.095 |
Italic values indicate statistical significance
A without constitutional symptoms, B with constitutional symptoms, X bulky disease, E extranodal involvement, CR complete remission, PR partial remission, NA not applicable, e escalated, b basal
aNumber of in vitro fertilized pregnancies among all pregnancies after chemotherapy
bPercentage of all patients in ABVD and BEACOPP groups
cPercentage of patients attempting conception post-treatment