Revolutionary therapy: higher chances of having children after Hodgkin's lymphoma!

Revolutionary therapy: higher chances of having children after Hodgkin's lymphoma!

In Cologne there is good news for young patients suffering from advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma. An international study led by the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) at the University Hospital of Cologne shows that the new therapeutic approaches significantly improve the chances of having a family of one's own after treatment. In particular, the new chemotherapy BrECADD seems to be a real ray of hope in this regard. According to uk-koeln.de, BrECADD protects fertility better than the previous standard eBEACOPP, without negatively affecting the chances of recovery.

In the extensive HD21 study, more than 1,500 participants at 233 centers in nine countries received one of two different forms of therapy. A look at the results, which were recently published in the renowned journal “The Lancet Oncology”, are promising: three years after completing therapy, 95 percent of the women and 86 percent of the men in the BrECADD group had normal hormone levels. For comparison: In the eBEACOPP group it was only 73 percent of women and 40 percent of men. This shows the clear benefit of BrECADD treatment in terms of hormonal health and the chances of starting a family later in life.

Pregnancies and biological fatherhood on the rise

The study also documented a significant increase in the number of pregnancies and births after treatment with BrECADD. This is particularly encouraging for men, as they have a higher chance of biological paternity. Dr. Justin Ferdinandus and Dr. Karolin Behringer, who is significantly involved in the study, underlines the importance of BrECADD not only for the healing rate, but also for the possibility of starting a family later.

But what happens to fertility in patients who rely on chemotherapy? As an evaluation shows, treatments against Hodgkin's lymphoma have the desired healing effect in around 80% of patients, but the side effects still need to be discussed. According to pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, the risk of secondary infertility is a key issue that requires interdisciplinary dialogues between hematologists, reproductive teams and surgeons. Chemotherapy in particular can affect the pool of primordial follicles in the ovaries, which can lead to premature ovarian failure.

New ways to preserve fertility

The challenges in the area of ​​fertility are great. For women over 30, the risk of complications increases significantly. In men, on the other hand, the sperm storage remains constant, which keeps fertility relatively stable even in later years of life. However, the use of alkylating agents during therapy significantly increases the risk of infertility. It is therefore all the more important to further develop innovative methods for preserving fertility, such as cryopreservation of eggs and ovarian tissue. These approaches are promising, but are still in the testing phase.

The results of these studies should not only be a topic of discussion in medical circles, but also offer encouraging perspectives for many of those affected and their relatives. Innovative treatment approaches show that it is certainly possible to improve quality of life while maintaining future family planning. These developments are a step in the right direction and raise hopes for a brighter future.