Malignant Lymphomas

The BEACOPP regimen, developed by the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) under Volker Diehl's leadership, represents a significant milestone in the treatment of advanced Hodgkin lymphoma. This article traces the history of BEACOPP’s introduction and development, its scientific rationale and its clinical impact.

For over 20 years, the International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML) has established itself as a leading global event in the field of malignant lymphomas. Its origins, however, were quite serendipitous.

In the 1970s and 1980s the introduction of combination chemotherapy regimens greatly improved the cure rates for patients with Hodgkin’s disease. One of these first regimens was the ABVD combination (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine).