Intravenous busulfan and cyclophosphamide as an autologous transplant conditioning regimen for relapsed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Abstract

16508 Purpose: High-dose chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has become the standard of care for chemosensitive relapsed Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Multiple conditioning regimens including CBV, BEAM, and BEAC have been used in the past with success. Limitations on the supply of carmustine have made it important to find other effective conditioning regimens. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the use of intravenous Busulfan and Cyclophosphamide (IV Bu/Cy) as a conditioning regimen for autologous stem cell transplantation in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma patients. Patients were given Busulfan 3.2 mg/kg total intravenously on days -7 to -4 (either once daily or in 2 or 4 divided doses) followed by Cyclophosphamide 120 mg/kg intravenously on days -2 and -1. Results: Forty-four patients, ages 20 to 68 years (median 50) were treated from January 2000 to April 2005. Most patients had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n = 29). Of the remaining patients, 8 had follicular lymphoma, 4 had mantle cell lymphoma and 3 had peripheral T-cell lymphoma. At the time of transplant, 27 patients had attained a complete response (CR or CRu) to salvage chemotherapy, 13 patients had achieved a partial response, and 4 had stable disease. The patients received a median of 3.0 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg (range 1.3–16.6 × 106). There were 4 treatment-related deaths by day 100: 1 from sepsis, 1 from pneumonia, and 2 from veno-occlusive disease (VOD). With a median follow-up of 42 months, 3-year Kaplan-Meier estimates of event free and overall survival for the entire cohort were 44% and 45%. For the patients that attained a CR or CRu prior to transplant, the EFS and OS were 42% and 53%, respectively. Conclusions: IV Bu/Cy is a safe and effective conditioning regimen. Due to the incidence of VOD, this regimen should be used with caution in patients with pre-existing hepatic dysfunction. Overall, our outcomes are comparable to that of other published regimens. Further investigation of Busulfan with Cyclophosphamide or with other chemotherapy combinations is warranted. No significant financial relationships to disclose.