Remission in systemic lupus erythematosus after combination chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease

Abstract

IT IS generally agreed that the prognosis for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) improves dramatically after the introduction of high-dose corticosteroids. 1,2 Evidence of benefit from treatment with cytotoxic agents is less compelling, but many authorities recommend them for patients with diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis or cerebritis. 2 Lack of positive proof of their efficacy is due to difficulty in obtaining the large number of patients required for a thorough study (ie, one that avoids the type II error of finding no difference between treatment groups, even though one exists). In the absence of such studies, individual judgments are based more on clinical experience and anecdotal reports. The present report describes a man with SLE who experienced a prolonged, complete, clinical and serological remission from the disease after combination chemotherapy for coincidental Hodgkin's disease. This case is presented to raise the question of whether effective combination chemotherapy might be safer