High-dose CHOP plus etoposide (MegaCHOEP) in T-cell lymphoma: a comparative analysis of patients treated within trials of the German High-Grade Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Study Group (DSHNHL).
BACKGROUND
T-cell lymphomas (T-NHL) generally carry a poor prognosis. High-dose therapy (HDT) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) are increasingly used to treat younger patients.


METHODS
We treated patients <61 years with high-risk aggressive lymphoma with four to six courses of dose-escalated CHOP plus etoposide (MegaCHOEP) necessitating repeated ASCT. Outcomes of patients with mature T-NHL (excluding anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma) and aggressive B-NHL were compared using multivariate Cox regression analysis.


RESULTS
Compared with 84.4% of B-NHL patients, 66.7% of T-NHL patients were able to receive all treatments; the rates of progressive disease were 27.3% in T-NHL and 16.3% in B-NHL patients. At 3 years, event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival were significantly worse for T-NHL [25.9% confidence interval (CI) 10.4% to 41.4% and 44.5% CI 26.5% to 62.5%) than for B-NHL patients (60.1% CI 52.1% to 68.1%; P < 0.001 and 63.4% CI 55.4% to 71.4%; P = 0.016). In multivariate analysis, T-NHL was a strongly significant adverse risk factor for EFS (relative risk 2.2, P = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
MegaCHOEP for T-NHL patients was no better than other high-dose regimens and was unable to address the major problems of HDT/ASCT: neither early progressions nor early relapses were reduced. This study sheds some doubt on expectations that HDT/ASCT will significantly improve outcomes for patients with T-NHL.
Nickelsen
M
M
Department of Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Asklepios Hospital St Georg, Hamburg, Germany. m.nickelsen@asklepios.com
Ziepert
M
M
Zeynalova
S
S
Glass
B
B
Metzner
B
B
Leithaeuser
M
M
Mueller-Hermelink
H K
HK
Pfreundschuh
M
M
Schmitz
N
N
D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011379:Prognosis; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
D014750:Vincristine; D005047:Etoposide; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011241:Prednisone