Modified outpatient dexamethazone, cytarabine and cisplatin regimen may lead to high response rates and low toxicity in lymphoma.
OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to investigate the efficacy of and establish a toxicity profile for a modified regimen of dexamethasone, cytarabine and cisplatin (DHAP) for lymphoma outpatients.


METHODS
Fifty-one lymphoma patients, 26 with Hodgkin's disease and 25 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, were included. The patients' median age was 32 years (range: 17-61). Twenty had progressive/refractory disease and 31 relapsed disease. Twenty-five were in clinical stage I/II and 26 in clinical stage III/IV before the initiation of salvage chemotherapy. DHAP consisted of dexamethasone (40 mg i.v. on days 1-4), cytarabine (2 g/m(2) i.v. as 3-hour infusion on days 2 in the evening and 3 in the morning) and cisplatin (35 mg/m(2) as 2-hour infusion on days 1-3) were administered every 21 days. A total of 154 cycles of modified DHAP were administered, with a median of 3 cycles per patient (range: 2-4).


RESULTS
The main toxicity was myelosuppression. WHO grade III-IV neutropenia and grade III-IV thrombocytopenia were observed in 27 (52.9%) and 21 (41%) patients, respectively. The overall response rate (85% for Hodgkin's disease and 95% for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) was 88.3% (39.2% complete response and 49.1% partial response).


CONCLUSIONS
The results showed that this outpatient schedule of DHAP was well tolerated and an effective salvage regimen.
Kanat
Ozkan
O
Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey.
Ozet
Ahmet
A
Ataergin
Selmin
S
Arpaci
Fikret
F
Kuzhan
Okan
O
Komurcu
Seref
S
Ozturk
Bekir
B
Ozturk
Mustafa
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D055815:Young Adult
D003561:Cytarabine; D003907:Dexamethasone; D002945:Cisplatin