Phase II trial of paclitaxel by 24-hour continuous infusion for relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphomas: Southwest Oncology Group trial 9246.

PURPOSE: The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) recently conducted a multiinstitutional phase II trial to determine the complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) rates, toxicities, and progression-free and overall survivals of patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) treated with a 24-hour continuous infusion of paclitaxel at a dose of 175 mg/m2. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-six patients with relapsed NHL who had received minimal prior therapy (one prior chemotherapy regimen for intermediate- to high-grade NHL [44 patients] or one or two prior regimens for low-grade NHL [22 patients]) were premedicated with dexamethasone, diphenhydramine, and cimetidine and then treated with continuous intravenous infusion paclitaxel over 24 hours every 21 days. RESULTS: Eleven of 66 patients (17%) achieved rigorously documented objective remissions, including two CRs (3%) and nine PRs (14%). In addition, another five patients (8%) achieved apparent PRs on a single computed tomographic (CT) scan. Responses were brief, lasting a median of 3 months (5 months for indolent lymphomas and 3 months for intermediate- to high-grade lymphomas). Grade 4 or 5 granulocytopenia was the only common serious toxicity, and occurred in 42 of 66 patients (64%). CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel is generally well tolerated when given as a continuous infusion of 175 mg/m2 over 24 hours, despite predictable granulocytopenia. However, single-agent paclitaxel has modest clinical efficacy compared with other available treatments for relapsed NHL.

Clinical evaluation of a simple, rapid procedure for the presumptive identification of anaerobic bacteria.

A simple, rapid procedure for the presumptive identification of anaerobic bacteria has been evaluated. Two hundred and thirty-five clinical isolates were identified using gas-liquid chromatography and 3-ml volumes of a few selected test media. These test media were stored aerobically and incubated in GasPak anaerobic jars. The average incubation time was 39 h. This procedure, when compared to the results of our standard identification procedure, correctly identified 98% of the isolates to the genus level, 83% to the species level, and 83% of Bacteroides fragilis and Bacteroides melaninogenicus to the subspecies level. Fifty-three of the isolates were also identified by using 0.5-ml volumes of test media stored, inoculated, and incubated in an anaerobic glove box. The 3-ml-and the 0.5-ml-volume procedures correctly identified comparable percentages of the 53 isolates.