title: Combination of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) anf erythropoietin (EPO) for the treatment of advanced non-responsive chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
abstract: We report the use of a colony-stimulating granulocyte-macrophage factor (GM/CSF) and erythropoietin (EPO) combination as salvage treatment in four heavily-pretreated patients with refractory/ recurrent B-CLL. Induction therapy was subcutaneous GM-CSF 2.5 microg/ kg, and EPO, 150 units/kg both daily for the first 14 d. Maintenance therapy was GM-CSF on days 1, 3 and 5 and Epo on days 2, 4 and 6 at the same doses with weekly recycling. All the patients responded favourably. A significant reduction of lymphocytosis, lymphoadenomegaly, and organomegaly was obtained within one month of therapy. The number of infections and transfusional requirement decreased dramatically. The hemoglobin increased to over 11 g/dl in 3 out of 4 patients. With a median follow-up of 11 months (range 5-13) we observed 4 partial responses (NCI/IWCLL) and only one progression after a 10-month partial response. This combination regimen seems very active, safe and easy to administer. It may represent a promising therapeutical option in heavily pretreated patients. Further clinical and biological studies on a larger cohort of patients are needed to confirm these preliminary data, to clarify the hypothetical interactions between these cytokines and B-CLL cell proliferation pathways, and to establish if this therapy may have an impact on survival.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Fondazione G. Pascale, Divisione di Ematologia Oncologica, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guadagni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mattera
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abate
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor