title: Treatment of advanced refractory lymphomas with a combination of carmustine, bleomycin, teniposide, dexamethasone, and cisplatin (the BBVDD regimen). An ECOG pilot study.
abstract: Forty-four patients with relapsed, refractory malignant lymphomas (12 Hodgkin's disease, 32 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) were treated with a combination of carmustine, bleomycin, teniposide, dexamethasone, and cisplatin (BBVDD regimen). Patients had failed at least one, and frequently two, chemotherapy regimens before admission to the study. Of the patients with Hodgkin's disease, 2 (17%) achieved complete response (CR), and 3 (25%) attained a partial response (PR) for an overall response rate (CR + PR) of 42%. Among the patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma there were 6 CR (19%) and 12 PR (37%), for an overall response rate of 56%. Median durations of response ranged from 2.5 months for nodular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in PR to 28.5 + months for Hodgkin's disease in CR. In these heavily pretreated patients, the incidence of toxic effects was grade 3 (48%), grade 4 (23%), grade 5 (2%). The one death (grade 5 toxicity) was attributed to pulmonary impairment due to bleomycin. BBVDD is a moderately effective regimen for the palliation of patients with refractory lymphomas and merits further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Albany Medical College, New York.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Spiers
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Weens
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horton
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Glick
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002330:Carmustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D013713:Teniposide / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D003907:Dexamethasone; D013713:Teniposide; D002945:Cisplatin; D002330:Carmustine