Objective: The long-term treatment outcomes of patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are important, as such patients have increased lifespans. Treatment options must be evaluated particularly for secondary malignancy risk and heart health.

Methods: We retrospective re-evaluated a total of 113 patients (all) who had received radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy for stage I-II disease out of 320 patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma who presented to and were treated at the Okmeydanı Training and Research Hospital Radiation Oncology Clinic between January 1974 and December 1997, and who then continued regular follow-up. I this period,only anterior mantle and anterior-posterior mantle treatment and/or chemoterapy, were evaluated for long-term side effects and efficacy.

Results: We compared 42 patients who had received only anterior radiotherapy (group 1) and 71 patients who had received anteroposterior radiotherapy (group 2). Recurrence was detected in 15 patients in group 1 and in 20 patients in group 2. Six patients in group 1 and 16 patients in group 2 died. The 5-year survival rate for group 1 and group 2 was 77.18% and 71.33%, respectively, and the respective 10-year survival rates were 70.8% and 67.16%. The secondary malignancies detected were lung cancer (3 patients), hemangiosarcoma (1 patient), larynx carcinoma (1 patient), neurofibromatosis (1 patient), and thyroid carcinoma (1 patient).

Conclusion: We discuss the patients’ quality of life in addition to the possible late adverse effects of the treatments given the increased curability and survival in Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The aim is to minimize the treatment-related adverse effects, given patients’ longer life expectancy. For this reason, it is currently being tried to improve the quality of life and survival by reducing the risk of organs and heart doses in terms of secondary cancer such as lung and breast, ischemic heart disease by different methods such as anteror field radiotherapy. But still, giving up smoking and increasing physical activities must be recommended, particularly against lung cancer and ischemic heart disease.