Salvage therapy with mitoxantrone, etoposide, bleomycin and dexamethasone for refractory or relapsed aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with a poor performance status or comorbidity

Lin,Xuede; Shi,Xi; Zeng,Wucha; Zheng,Min; Huang,Liming

doi:10.3892/ol.2014.2517

Salvage therapy with mitoxantrone, etoposide, bleomycin and dexamethasone for refractory or relapsed aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with a poor performance status or comorbidity

Authors:
- Xuede Lin
- Xi Shi
- Wucha Zeng
- Min Zheng
- Liming Huang
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Affiliations: Department of Chemotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350005, P.R. China
Published online on: September 9, 2014 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2014.2517
Pages: 2012-2016

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Abstract

The treatment of refractory or relapsed aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in patients in a state of poor health is difficult due to their ineligibility to receive intensive salvage chemotherapy. In the present study, 16 refractory or relapsed aggressive NHL patients with a poor performance status or comorbidities were treated with mitoxantrone, etoposide, bleomycin and dexamethasone (MEBD) therapy. The treatment consisted of 10 mg/m2 intravenous (IV) mitoxantrone on day 1, 75 mg/m2 IV etoposide on days 1-3, 20 mg IV dexamethasone on days 1-4 and 15 mg intramuscular bleomycin on days 1, 4, 8 and 12, every 21 days. The efficacy and toxicity of the regimen were evaluated. The overall response rate was 68.8%, with a complete response rate of 18.8% and a partial response rate of 50.0%. The efficacy of the treatment for B‑cell lymphoma was greater than that for T‑cell lymphoma. The median progression-free survival time for the patients was 16.7 months and the median overall survival time was 22.4 months. The one‑year overall survival rate was 62.5% and the two‑year overall survival rate was 43.8%. The most common toxicity symptom was myelosuppression. In conclusion, refractory or relapsed aggressive NHL patients with a poor performance status or comorbidity are eligible for chemotherapy. MEBD therapy is an effective and feasible salvage regimen for NHL patients in a state of poor health.

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