Use of Interim PET Scan to Modify Therapy in Advanced Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Order to Improve Outcomes

The current standard treatment for advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma 6-8 cycles of ABVD chemotherapy-this cures 70-80% patients. Those not cured after 8 cycles of ABVD have a poor outcome (\<10% survival). More intensive chemotherapy like Escalated BEACOPP (EB) achieve higher cure rates have more side effects. Hence the investigators propose to use Interim PET CT scan (done after 2 cycles of ABVD) for early identification of poor responders (it is known that those with interim PET positive disease have a cure rate of less than 10-15% if continued with ABVD alone) and to use EB selectively in this population in an attempt to improve treatment outcomes - at the same time to limit side effects of therapy. Thus, this study is an attempt to improve the outcome in the small subset of poor responders to ABVD chemotherapy by the early use of Escalated BEACOPP chemotherapy