title: Vinorelbine, gemcitabine, procarbazine and prednisone (ViGePP) as salvage therapy in relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL): results of a phase II study conducted by the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio dei Linfomi.
abstract: Patients with aggressive NHL who fail initial treatment or subsequently relapse have a very poor outcome and less than 20-25% achieve a prolonged disease-free interval with salvage therapies. To improve the outcome of patients with refractory aggressive NHL not suitable for High Dose Therapy (HDT) and Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT), the efficacy of a combination of gemcitabine, vinorelbine, procarbazine and prednisone (ViGePP) were tested. Between November 1999 and September 2002, 69 patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL were treated with ViGePP regimen, every 4 weeks up to six courses. At the end of planned chemotherapy patients could receive additional radiotherapy on residual masses or on sites of previously bulky disease. Sixty-six patients were available for evaluation of study end-points. Thirty patients were refractory to therapy and 36 patients had relapsed after remission obtained with previous therapy. At the end of therapy, complete remission (CR) rate was 23%, 3-year relapse free survival rate was 40% and 3-year overall survival rate was 25% for the whole series (29% and 20% for relapsed and refractory patients, respectively). Patients achieving CR with ViGePP had a significantly better survival as compared with the remaining ones (p = 0.0003). ViGePP as used in the present setting has demonstrated a promising activity, comparable to other conventional dose regimens. Although CR was achieved only in a minority of patients, this was durable in a significant proportion of them. This regimen should be tested in less heavily pre-treated patients and probably in combination with new active agents such Rituximab. Further developments of this combination are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa di Ematologia ed Oncologia Medica, C.R.O.B., Ospedale Oncologico Regionale, Rionero in Vulture, (PZ), Italy. ndirenzo@crob.it
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Di Renzo
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brugiatelli
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montanini
authors.forename: Maria Luigia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Vigliotti
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cervetti
authors.forename: Anna Marina
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Liberati
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luminari
authors.forename: Pierangelo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spedini
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giglio
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Federico
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D011344:Procarbazine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000077235:Vinorelbine; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D003841:Deoxycytidine; D011344:Procarbazine; D014747:Vinblastine; D000077235:Vinorelbine; D011241:Prednisone; D000093542:Gemcitabine