title: Long-term follow-up of advanced-stage low-grade lymphoma patients treated upfront with high-dose sequential chemotherapy and autograft.
abstract: Long-term outcome, after first line intensified high-dose sequential (i-HDS) chemotherapy, was evaluated in 46 patients, aged < or =65 years, with advanced low-grade lymphoma. Seventeen patients had small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), 29 had follicular lymphoma (FL), 10 of them with histologic transformation. I-HDS included: (1) tumor debulking, by 2 APO+2 DHAP courses; (2) sequential administration of high-dose (hd) etoposide, methotrexate, and cyclophosphamide, followed by peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) harvest; (3) hd-mitoxantrone + melphalan with PBPC autograft. Ten FL patients had their PBPC immunologically purged ex vivo. There were two treatment-related deaths; five FL patients had short-lasting response followed by disease progression, five SLL reached a stable PR; overall, 34 patients (74%) reached CR. At a median follow-up of 4.3 years, the estimated 9-year OS and EFS were 84% and 45%, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the OS among patients at low, intermediate or high IPI score, with an estimated OS projection of 95%, 78%, and 75%, respectively. FL had longer survival without evidence of residual disease (9-year EFS: 59%) as compared to SLL patients (8.8-year EFS: 17%); however, both groups had prolonged survival and no need of salvage treatment, as shown by the time to disease progression curve, projected to 66% and 62% for SLL and FL, respectively. The results indicate that hd-approach in low-grade lymphoma: (1) is associated with longer progression-free survival as compared to conventional therapies; (2) may imply higher tumor mass reduction in FL as compared to SLL patients; (3) offers long life expectancy, with potential survival benefits at least for patients at intermediate/high IPI score.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina e Oncologia Sperimentale, Azienda Ospedaliera S Giovanni Battista di Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tarella
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caracciolo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corradini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zallio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ladetto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuttica
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Novero
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gavarotti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pileri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D008942:Mitoxantrone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012074:Remission Induction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D003561:Cytarabine; D014750:Vincristine; D005047:Etoposide; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D008942:Mitoxantrone; D002945:Cisplatin; D008558:Melphalan; D008727:Methotrexate