Older adolescents and very young adults with Hodgkin lymphoma appear to have better outcomes when treated with a pediatric trial protocol than similarly-aged patients treated with an adult trial protocol, according to a study involving >500 individuals. Participants were between 17 and 21 years of age and had Hodgkin lymphoma. They were treated as part of either the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-American College of Radiology Imaging Network Intergroup adult study (n=114) or the pediatric Children's Oncology Group study (n=391). Investigators looked at failure-free and overall survival. Among the results:

• The 5-year failure-free and overall survival rates were 68% and 89%, respectively, in the adult trial and 81% and 97%, respectively, in the pediatric study.
• All subgroups treated in the adult trial had worse failure-free survival except for patients with stages 1 or 2 lymphoma without anemia.
• Younger patients treated in the adult trial group had worse failure-free survival than 22- to 44-year-olds treated in the same trial.
• Outcomes were similar regardless of age in the pediatric trial.