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High response rate and manageable toxicity with an intensive, short‐term chemotherapy programme for Burkitt's lymphoma in adults
Author(s) -
Nicola Massimo Di,
CarloStella Carmelo,
Mariotti Jacopo,
Devizzi Liliana,
Massimino Maura,
Cabras Antonello,
Magni Michele,
Matteucci Paola,
Guidetti Anna,
Gandola Lorenza,
Gianni Alessandro M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2004.05141.x
Subject(s) - medicine , vincristine , cytarabine , chemotherapy , gastroenterology , induction chemotherapy , surgery , cyclophosphamide , progressive disease , methotrexate , toxicity , lymphoma , chop , neutropenia
Summary A very short, intensive paediatric chemotherapy programme was tested in a consecutive monoinstitutional group of 22 adult Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) patients. After a 5‐week induction phase of weekly infusions consisting of vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, high‐dose (HD) methotrexate (MTX) plus leukovorin rescue, and intrathecal MTX or cytarabine (ARA‐C), a consolidation phase including HD ARA‐C plus cisplatin was given. Responding patients achieving less than complete response (CR) after completion of the initial induction phase, were promptly shifted to a high‐dose, stem cell supported sequential chemotherapy schema (R‐HDS). Patient characteristics: median age, 35·5 (range 18–76) years; Ann Arbor stage I–II/III–IV, 11/11; bulky disease, 15 patients; LDH ≥ 460 U/l, 11 patients. The median duration of the chemotherapy programme was 62 d (range, 43–94 d). Seventeen patients achieved a CR (77%), one patient died of progressive disease and four partial responders following induction were converted to CR following R‐HDS. Of 17 patients in CR, one died of infectious toxicity while in CR, and one relapsed at 30 months and died of progressive disease. After a median follow‐up of 28·7 months (range, 6–158 months), 16 patients (73%) were in continued CR. Overall survival and progression‐free survival were 77% [95% confidence interval (CI), 52–99%] and 68% (95% CI, 43–99%) respectively. Confirmation of these excellent efficacy and feasibility results by larger, multicentre and prospective studies is warranted.