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VB‐CHEP chemotherapy regimen for aggressive non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas
Author(s) -
Yalçin Şuayib,
Kars Ayşe,
Ozişik Yavuz,
Tekuzman Gülten,
Özyilkan Özgür,
Çelik Ismail,
Barişta Ibrahim,
Güllü Ibrahim,
Güler Nilüfer,
Baltali Eşmen,
Firat Dinçer
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
european journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0902-4441
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0609.1998.tb01712.x
Subject(s) - medicine , vincristine , regimen , etoposide , prednisolone , cyclophosphamide , neutropenia , surgery , chop , gastroenterology , cytarabine , chemotherapy , leukocytopenia , leukopenia , combination chemotherapy
Despite intensive search for the optimal combination chemotherapy for aggressive non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), the CHOP (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine and prednisolone) regimen is still the standard therapy. We investigated the clinical efficacy of a new combination regimen consisting of vincristine, bleomycin–cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, etoposide and prednisolone (VB‐CHEP) in patients with aggressive NHL. A total of 29 patients with aggressive NHL was enrolled into the protocol. Eight patients were consolidated with cisplatin and cytarabine and 5 patients received radiotherapy for bulky disease. Objective response was achieved in 82.8% of the patients. Complete remission (CR) and partial remission rates were 72.4%, and 10.3%, respectively. CR rate was significantly lower in patients with advanced stage, extranodal disease and bone marrow involvement. Median follow‐up time is 34+ months; 17 patients are disease‐free while 12 died and only 2 patients with CR have relapsed so far. Median response duration is 29+ months and the median survival is 48+ months. The survival rate is 69% in the first year and 66% in the second year. A total of 152 cycles were evaluated for toxicity. Major hematological toxicity was myelosuppression and neutropenia, detected in 50.65%, was mostly grades 1–2. Neutropenic fever occurred in only 11 cycles. The side effects of the consolidation therapy were also acceptable. We conclude that the VB‐CHEP regimen with consolidation therapy for high‐risk patients may be an effective treatment for advanced stage aggressive NHL.