Chemotherapy plus involved-field radiation in early-stage Hodgkin's disease.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of early-stage Hodgkin's disease is usually tailored in line with prognostic factors that allow for reductions in the amount of chemotherapy and extent of radiotherapy required for a possible cure. METHODS: From 1993 to 1999, we identified 1538 patients (age, 15 to 70 years) who had untreated stage I or II supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease with favorable prognostic features (the H8-F trial) or unfavorable features (the H8-U trial). In the H8-F trial, we compared three cycles of mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP) combined with doxorubicin, bleomycin, and vinblastine (ABV) plus involved-field radiotherapy with subtotal nodal radiotherapy alone (reference group). In the H8-U trial, we compared three regimens: six cycles of MOPP-ABV plus involved-field radiotherapy (reference group), four cycles of MOPP-ABV plus involved-field radiotherapy, and four cycles of MOPP-ABV plus subtotal nodal radiotherapy. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 92 months. In the H8-F trial, the estimated 5-year event-free survival rate was significantly higher after three cycles of MOPP-ABV plus involved-field radiotherapy than after subtotal nodal radiotherapy alone (98% vs. 74%, P<0.001). The 10-year overall survival estimates were 97% and 92%, respectively (P=0.001). In the H8-U trial, the estimated 5-year event-free survival rates were similar in the three treatment groups: 84% after six cycles of MOPP-ABV plus involved-field radiotherapy, 88% after four cycles of MOPP-ABV plus involved-field radiotherapy, and 87% after four cycles of MOPP-ABV plus subtotal nodal radiotherapy. The 10-year overall survival estimates were 88%, 85%, and 84%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Chemotherapy plus involved-field radiotherapy should be the standard treatment for Hodgkin's disease with favorable prognostic features. In patients with unfavorable features, four courses of chemotherapy plus involved-field radiotherapy should be the standard treatment. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00379041 [ClinicalTrials.gov].).

A weekly regimen with dose escalation of doxorubicin for patients with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma: results of a phase II study of the Groupe d'Etudes des Lymphomes de l'Adulte (GELA).

This multicenter phase II study assessed the feasibility and efficacy of a weekly chemotherapy regimen with a moderately escalated dose of doxorubicin administered over 16 weeks, followed by radiation therapy (RT) to bulky sites. From July 1996 to February 1998, 44 untreated patients with stage IIIB-IV Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), and 0 - 2 risk factors described by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, were treated. Chemotherapy was a combination of increased-dose doxorubicin with conventional doses of cyclophosphamide, vinblastine, prednisone, vindesine, bleomycin, and etoposide. Patients received four cycles of the weekly regimen for 16 weeks. Forty-one patients received the planned four cycles of chemotherapy, and RT was delivered to 36 patients. The incidence of WHO grade 3 - 4 neutropenia was 90%. A total of 39 patients achieved a complete remission (88.6%). The median follow-up was 95 months. The 7-years freedom from treatment failure and overall survival estimates were 57% (95% confidence interval (CI), 41% - 70%), and 93% (95% CI, 80 - 98%), respectively. The relapse rate was related to the short duration of chemotherapy, and the failure to prevent relapses with consolidation RT. In this study population the 16-week regimen and RT to bulky sites were not sufficient for disease control.

Plasma cytokine and soluble receptor signature predicts outcome of patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma: a study from the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte.

PURPOSE: Approximately 15% of patients with localized and 30% with disseminated classical Hodgkin's lymphoma fail to respond or relapse after first-line treatment. Usual prognosis scoring systems are actually unable to identify this small subset of patients with good confidence, pointing out the need for additional prognostic biomarkers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively analyzed the prognosis value of plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), its soluble receptors TNF-R1 and TNF-R2, IL-10, IL1-RA, IL-6, and soluble CD30 (sCD30) when taken before any treatment in 519 consecutive patients with a first diagnosis of classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. RESULTS: Levels of TNF higher than 46 pg/mL, TNF-R1 higher than 3 ng/mL, TNF-R2 higher than 5 ng/mL, IL-10 higher than 30 pg/mL, IL1-RA higher than 668 pg/mL, IL-6 higher than 30 pg/mL, and sCD30 higher than 80 U/mL were associated with poor event-free and overall survival. In multivariate analysis, high levels of IL1-RA, IL-6, and sCD30 were independent poor prognosis factors, and the cytokine signature based on their combination allowed the stratification of patients in four prognosis classes, reaching a 5-year event-free survival probability of 92%, 85%, 76%, and 15%, respectively. This index was more potent than other scoring systems to predict patient event-free survival, and remained independent from the international prognostic score (P < .001), adding significant prognostic information to its predictive power. CONCLUSION: Plasma cytokine signature is sufficient to predict disease-related outcome in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma, and allows the identification of patients with very high risk of treatment failure.

Characteristics and outcome of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in hepatitis C virus-positive patients in LNH 93 and LNH 98 Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte programs.

PURPOSE: Epidemiologic studies show an association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Treatment and outcome of patients with diffuse large-cell lymphoma (DLCL) and HCV infection are still a matter of debate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied the HCV-positive patients with B-cell DLCL included in the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte (GELA) programs LNH 93 and LNH 98. They were compared with the other patients with DLCL included in these programs. HCV infection prevalence was 0.5% (26 of 5,586 patients). RESULTS: Histologic types of HCV-positive DLCL were more frequently transformed from low-grade lymphoma than DLCL in HCV-negative patients (32% v 6%, P = .02). This is also supported by more frequent spleen involvement in HCV-positive patients (46% v 17%, P < .001). HCV-positive patients had more frequently elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels than other patients (77% v 55%, P = .02). Outcome of HCV-positive patients was poorer for overall survival (P = .02) but not for event-free survival (P = .13). After matching on age and prognosis factors, at 2 years of follow-up, the overall survival was 56% (95% CI, 33% to 76%) among HCV-positive patients, versus 80% (70% to 89%), and the event-free survival was 53% (33% to 72%) versus 74% (64% to 84%). The short-term hepatic toxicity of chemotherapy was strongly increased among HCV-positive patients. After exclusion of the two subjects with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, the overall proportion of subjects undergoing hepatic toxicity was 65% (15 of 23 patients). CONCLUSION: HCV-positive patients with DLCL differ from other patients both at presentation and during chemotherapy. Specific protocols evaluating antiviral therapy should be designed for these patients.

ACVBP versus CHOP plus radiotherapy for localized aggressive lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Chemoradiotherapy is standard treatment for localized aggressive lymphoma. To determine the optimal therapy for nonelderly persons with low-risk localized lymphoma, we conducted a randomized trial comparing chemoradiotherapy with chemotherapy alone. METHODS: Previously untreated patients less than 61 years old with localized stage I or II aggressive lymphoma and no adverse prognostic factors according to the International Prognostic Index were randomly assigned to three cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) plus involved-field radiotherapy (329 patients) or chemotherapy alone with dose-intensified doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, bleomycin, and prednisone (ACVBP) plus sequential consolidation (318 patients). RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 7.7 years, event-free and overall survival rates were significantly higher in the group given chemotherapy alone than in the group given CHOP plus radiotherapy (P<0.001 and P=0.001, respectively). The five-year estimates of event-free survival were 82 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 78 to 87 percent) for patients receiving chemotherapy alone and 74 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 69 to 78 percent) for those receiving chemoradiotherapy. The respective five-year estimates of overall survival were 90 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 87 to 93 percent) and 81 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 77 to 86 percent). In a multivariate analysis, event-free and overall survival rates were affected by treatment group, independently of tumor stage and the presence or absence of bulky disease. CONCLUSIONS: In patients under 61 years of age, chemotherapy with three cycles of ACVBP followed by sequential consolidation is superior to three cycles of CHOP plus radiotherapy for the treatment of low-risk localized lymphoma.

Intravascular bone marrow accumulation in persistent polyclonal lymphocytosis: a misleading feature for B-cell neoplasm.

Persistent polyclonal B-cell lymphocytosis is usually reported in young smoking women. Whether this syndrome represents a premalignant or benign disease remains unclear. Indeed, because of the association of Bcl-2/IgH rearrangement and cytogenetic abnormalities, such cases may be misdiagnosed as the leukemic phase of a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We report eight new cases of persistent polyclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, which displayed a misleading bone marrow histological pattern, that is, intravascular B-cell infiltrate, constantly associated with Bcl-2 immunohistostaining, as seen in some lymphoma. We also show the absence or low expression of adhesion molecules on persistent polyclonal B-cell lymphocytes, suggesting that migration abnormalities might lead to bone marrow and peripheral blood accumulation. Although most cases presented multiple Bcl-2/IgH gene rearrangements and appeared to be polyclonal, oligoclonal expansion was identified in one out of eight patients, yet was not associated with clinical aggressiveness. The occasional reports of oligoclonal IgH and Bcl-2/IgH rearrangements in this disorder suggest that polyclonal expansion may be followed by the emergence of a predominant clone. However, the benign clinical course and lack of biological evolution in most cases imply that it is mandatory to distinguish this disorder from other malignant lymphoproliferations, so that unnecessary aggressive therapy can be avoided.

Hepatosplenic gammadelta T-cell lymphoma is a rare clinicopathologic entity with poor outcome: report on a series of 21 patients.

We report on the characteristics of 21 patients with hepatosplenic gammadelta T-cell lymphoma (HSgammadeltaTCL), an entity recognized since 1994 in the Revised European American Lymphoma (REAL) classification. Median age was 34 years. Patients had splenomegaly (n = 21), hepatomegaly (n = 15), and thrombocytopenia (n = 20). Histopathologic findings were homogeneous and showed the presence of medium-sized lymphoma cells within the sinusoids of splenic red pulp, liver, and bone marrow. Marrow involvement was usually mild but could be demonstrated by phenotyping in all patients. Cells were CD3+CD5-, expressed the gammadelta T-cell receptor, and had a nonactivated cytotoxic cell phenotype (TIA-1+, granzyme B-). Most patients were CD4-/CD8- (16 of 18); CD56+ (15 of 18), expressed the Vdelta1epitope (Vd1+/Vd2-/Vd3-) (9 of 12); and were negative for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (18 of 20). Isochromosome arm 7q was documented in 9 of 13 patients. Eight patients had previously undergone kidney transplantation or had a history of systemic lupus, Hodgkin disease, or malaria. Prognosis was poor; median survival time was 16 months, and all but 2 patients ultimately died despite consolidative or salvage high-dose therapy. In conclusion, HSgammadeltaTCL is a disease with distinctive clinical, histopathologic, and phenotypic characteristics. Bone marrow biopsy with combined phenotyping is sufficient for diagnosis, and splenectomy is therefore unwarranted. Current treatment modalities appear to be ineffective in most patients.

Hematologic recovery after autologous PBPC transplantation: importance of the number of postthaw CD34+ cells.

BACKGROUND: The implementation of a quality-assurance program is a major requirement to ensure quality and safety of the final PBPC components intended for clinical use. It is not clear whether the quantification of CFU-GM and CD34+ cells should be done on fresh components and after cryopreservation, which better represents the actual composition of the graft. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Correlation between prefreeze and postthaw MNCs, CD34+ cells, and CFU-GM collected from 126 patients undergoing BMT (n=43) or PBPC (n =83) transplantation were evaluated. The statistical incidence of prefreeze and postthaw parameters as well as patient characteristics and conditioning regimens on hematologic recovery were analyzed. RESULTS: By multivariate analysis, prefreeze and postthaw CD34+ cells were the only two variables significantly and independently correlated to hematologic recovery. Low prefreeze and postthaw CD34+ cell numbers associated to a low CD34+ yield characterize PBPC grafts from patients who have the slowest hematologic recovery. The postthaw PBPC CD34+ cell number can be estimated before conditioning regimen by thawing a small aliquot of the graft. CONCLUSION: In association to prefreeze CD34+ cell number and to CD34+ yield, postthaw CD34+ cell number may be useful in monitoring cell loss during processing and identifying patients at risk of slow PBPC engraftment.

Rituximab plus CHOP (R-CHOP) overcomes bcl-2--associated resistance to chemotherapy in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

In diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the combination of rituximab and CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicine, vincristine, prednisone; R-CHOP) has been shown to be more effective than CHOP for the treatment of elderly patients. Bcl-2 protein expression has been associated with poor prognosis in patients with DLBCL. To establish whether or not rituximab reduces bcl-2-associated treatment failure, we studied bcl-2 protein expression and clinical outcome in patients included in the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte LNH-98-5 trial. Patients between 60 and 80 years of age were randomized to receive 8 cycles of either CHOP or R-CHOP every 3 weeks. Of the 399 patients included, 292 with histologically proven DLBCL had material available for bcl-2 study. Tumors were considered positive when at least 50% of tumor cells expressed bcl-2 protein. There were 193 (66%) bcl-2+ patients and 99 (34%) bcl-2- patients. The response rates for R-CHOP and CHOP were, respectively, 78% and 60% (P =.01) in bcl-2+ patients and 76% and 73% (P =.7) in bcl-2- patients. At a median of 2 years of follow-up, R-CHOP was significantly associated with a better overall survival than CHOP in bcl-2+ patients (67% +/- 9% versus 48% +/- 11%, P =.004). In bcl-2- patients there was no statistically significant difference (72% +/- 12% versus 67% +/- 14%, P =.6). In addition, R-CHOP was associated with significantly better event-free survival than CHOP in bcl-2+ patients (58% +/- 10% versus 32% +/- 10%, P <.001) but not in bcl-2- patients (60% +/- 13% versus 40% +/- 15%, P =.13). Multivariate analysis confirmed the significant benefit for survival and event-free survival of R-CHOP in bcl-2+ patients. These results suggest that rituximab is able to prevent chemotherapy failure in patients with bcl-2 protein overexpression.

Shortened first-line high-dose chemotherapy for patients with poor-prognosis aggressive lymphoma.

PURPOSE: Randomized trial LNH93-3 was conducted on patients who had poor-prognosis aggressive lymphoma and were younger than 60 years with two to three factors of the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index to evaluate the benefit of early high-dose therapy (HDT) with autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were randomized between doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, bleomycin, and prednisone (ACVBP) chemotherapy followed by sequential consolidation and an experimental shortened treatment consisting of three cycles with escalated doses of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, vindesine, bleomycin, and prednisone and collection of peripheral-blood stem cells. On day 60, HDT was administered with 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan followed by ASCT. RESULTS: Eligible patients (n = 370) with aggressive lymphoma were analyzed. For ACVBP (181 patients) and HDT (189 patients), respective complete remission rates were 64% and 63%. With a median follow-up of 60 months, 5-year overall survival and event-free survival for ACVBP and HDT were 60% +/- 8% and 46% +/- 8% (P =.007) and 52 +/- 8% and 39 +/- 8% (P =.01), respectively. Survival was independently affected by age greater than 40 years (P =.0003), T-cell phenotype (P =.009), bone marrow involvement (P =.003), and HDT treatment group (P =.04). CONCLUSION: Early HDT with ASCT in high-risk patients was inferior to the ACVBP chemotherapy regimen. These results indicate that the received dose-intensity before HDT was too low when compared with ACVBP and HDT and was given too early.

Laparoscopic splenectomy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: outcome and long-term results.

The technical feasibility of laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) has been recently established. However, data regarding the efficacy of the procedure with long-term follow-up of patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) are scarce. The objective of this study was to determine retrospectively the immediate efficacy and the long-term results of a standardized laparoscopic procedure applied to patients with ITP refractory to medical treatment. Laparoscopic splenectomy was performed in 35 patients for ITP between May 1993 and May 1998. The lateral approach was used in the last 27 patients. Data were recorded retrospectively on that group. Twenty-six patients (96%) underwent successful LS. Mean operative time for the laparoscopic procedure was 90 minutes. There were no postoperative deaths. Postoperative complications developed in three patients. Thrombocytopenia resolved after surgery in 93% of patients, but 7 patients (25%) experienced relapse during a mean 28-month follow-up. At present no patient needs medical therapy to maintain a normal platelet count. Laparoscopic splenectomy is feasible and safe in patients with ITP. Long-term results of LS for ITP are comparable to those achieved with open splenectomy.

CHOP chemotherapy plus rituximab compared with CHOP alone in elderly patients with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment for patients with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma is cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP). Rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody against the CD20 B-cell antigen, has therapeutic activity in diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma. We conducted a randomized trial to compare CHOP chemotherapy plus rituximab with CHOP alone in elderly patients with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma. METHODS: Previously untreated patients with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma, 60 to 80 years old, were randomly assigned to receive either eight cycles of CHOP every three weeks (197 patients) or eight cycles of CHOP plus rituximab given on day 1 of each cycle (202 patients). RESULTS: The rate of complete response was significantly higher in the group that received CHOP plus rituximab than in the group that received CHOP alone (76 percent vs. 63 percent, P=0.005). With a median follow-up of two years, event-free and overall survival times were significantly higher in the CHOP-plus-rituximab group (P<0.001 and P=0.007, respectively). The addition of rituximab to standard CHOP chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of treatment failure and death (risk ratios, 0.58 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.44 to 0.77] and 0.64 [0.45 to 0.89], respectively). Clinically relevant toxicity was not significantly greater with CHOP plus rituximab. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of rituximab to the CHOP regimen increases the complete-response rate and prolongs event-free and overall survival in elderly patients with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma, without a clinically significant increase in toxicity.

Intensive salvage therapy with high-dose chemotherapy for patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease in relapse or failure after initial chemotherapy: results of the Groupe d'Etudes des Lymphomes de l'Adulte H89 Trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively the feasibility and efficacy of early intensive therapy, including intensified cytoreductive chemotherapy (CT) and high-dose CT (HDCT) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT), in patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease (HD) who failed to respond completely or relapsed after initial treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Among 533 eligible patients with newly diagnosed stage IIIB-IV HD enrolled in the H89 trial, all 157 patients with induction failure (IF) (n = 67), partial response (PR) of less than 75% (n = 22), or relapse (n = 68) were included in this study. Planned salvage therapy included mitoguazone, ifosfamide, vinorelbine, and etoposide monthly for two to three cycles followed by high-dose carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan with ASCT. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 50 months, the 5-year survival estimates were 30%, 72%, and 76% for the IF, PR, and relapse groups, respectively (P =.0001), 71% for the 101 patients given HDCT, and 32% for the 48 patients treated without HDCT (P =.0001). Multivariate analysis using time-dependent Cox model indicated that B symptoms at progression, salvage without HDCT, and chemoresistant disease before HDCT were significantly associated with shorter overall survival. CONCLUSION: Early intensive therapy improves the outcomes of patients with advanced HD who failed to respond completely to initial treatment and those who relapsed with adverse prognostic factors. However, for patients with IF and chemoresistant disease, this approach remains unsatisfactory.