Purpose: To estimate the risk for hospitalizations among survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosed in adolescence or young adulthood according to exposure to treatment with radiation therapy.
Methods: Through the files of the Danish Cancer Registry, we identified 1684 five-year survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma, diagnosed at age 15-39 years during the period 1943-2004, and for whom information on radiation therapy was available in the Cancer Registry. Population-based comparisons were identified through the Danish Civil Registration System and matched to the survivors on year of birth and sex. Survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma and comparisons were linked to the Danish National Patient Register for information on hospitalizations. Standardized hospitalization rate ratios (RR) and absolute excess rates (AERs) were estimated for total number of hospitalizations and for hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease, cancer and several other disease groups.
Results: Overall, survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma who received radiation therapy had higher risk (RR 2.0) and AER (AER 588) of hospitalization than survivors not treated with radiation therapy (RR 1.8; AER 399). Especially, the risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer was high among survivors who received radiation therapy (RR 2.8 and 3.6) compared with survivors who did not receive this type of treatment (RR 2.2 and 2.3).
Conclusion: Survivors of adolescent and young adult Hodgkin lymphoma treated with radiation therapy had a higher risk of diseases requiring hospitalization than survivors not treated with radiation therapy. Irrespective of the type of treatment received, initiatives that prevent and minimize hospital-requiring late effects in survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma are needed.
Keywords: Hodgkin lymphoma; cardiovascular diseases; hospitalizations; late effects; radiation therapy.