Lomustine and melphalan cannot be replaced by cyclophosphamide and etoposide without reducing efficacy in MOPPEBVCAD chemotherapy for advanced Hodgkin's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility, toxicity and preliminary results of a potentially less toxic variant of the MOPPEBVCAD chemotherapy regimen for advanced Hodgkin's disease: MOPPEBVCyED, in which cyclophosphamide and etoposide replace lomustine and melphalan, respectively, with the remaining components being unaltered.


METHODS
The study was multicenter, prospective and randomized, and enrolled 67 patients with newly diagnosed stage IIB, III, IV Hodgkin's disease (62 were expected on the grounds of statistical considerations). Radiotherapy was restricted to sites of bulky involvement or to areas that responded incompletely to chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 48 months.


RESULTS
Comparing MOPPEBVCAD vs. MOPPEBVCyED, the results were as follows: complete remissions 35/35 vs. 30/32 (plus one partial remission and one disease progression); relapses 5 vs. 8; deaths 2 (one of myelodysplasia) vs. 2; delivered mean dose intensity (DI): lomustine 0.79+/-0.67 vs. cyclophosphamide 0.82+/-0.32; melphalan 0.80+/-0.13 vs. etoposide 0.86+/-0.18; average DI of the 7 drugs common to both regimens 0.73+/-0.10 vs. 0.83+/-0.11; all 9 drugs 0.75+/-0.13 vs. 0.84+/-0.09 (p=0.002); projected 5-year failure-free survival 0.79 vs 0.62; second cancers, two myelodysplasias vs. one carcinoma of the kidney. Toxicities were not statistically different except for heavier thrombocytopenia being recorded with MOPPEBVCAD.


CONCLUSIONS
The higher cumulative and single drug DI recorded with MOPPEBVCyED may reflect better short-term tolerability, but it does not lead to better disease control. Its late toxicity may be expected to be lower in the future but at present it does not seem to be a sufficient reason to substitute MOPPEBVCyED for MOPPEBVCAD.
Gobbi
P G
PG
Medicina Interna e Oncologia Medica, Università di Pavia, Policlinico S. Matteo, P.le Golgi 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy. gobbipg@smatteo.pv.it
Broglia
C
C
Bertè
R
R
Petrilli
M P
MP
Molica
S
S
Angrilli
F
F
Iannitto
E
E
Ghirardelli
M L
ML
Di Renzo
N
N
Cavanna
L
L
Ascari
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000592:standards / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008130:Lomustine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D008466:Mechlorethamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D011344:Procarbazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity; D014751:Vindesine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity
D001761:Bleomycin; D011344:Procarbazine; D015251:Epirubicin; D008466:Mechlorethamine; D014750:Vincristine; D014747:Vinblastine; D005047:Etoposide; D008130:Lomustine; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D008558:Melphalan; D014751:Vindesine; D011241:Prednisone