Abstract
Seventy-eight patients with stage III and IV histiocytic lymphoma were randomized for treatment with cyclophosphamide (CYP), vincristine (VCR), and prednisone (PRD) (COP) or COP plus BCNU and HN 2 . The study was done in three phases: the first compared COP with COP plus BCNU and HN 2 at a “low” dose, the second compared the same agents using a 50% increase in the dose of the alkylating agents (“high dose”) and the third compared the second combination with the addition of 10 weekly doses of bleomycin. Upon entering remission, the patients were randomized to receive daily CYP p.o. or daily CYP p.o. plus reinforcing doses of PRD and VCR every two months. The response rates were not significantly different for each treatment group; the overall remission rate was 50%. The median duration of remission was 4 months. Twenty-one patients were observed during maintenance chemotherapy. Neither regimen showed an advantage over the other. The overall median survival was 6 months, but patients achieving CR had a median survival of 14 months. The addition of BCNU, HN 2 or bleomycin did not improve the response rate for COP.
Published Version
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