SALVAGE TREATMENT OF RELAPSING LYMPHOMAS WITH A NON-MYELOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY COMBINING CISPLATINUM, BLEOMYCIN, METHYL GAG, AND PREDNISOLONE

Fifty-one patients with primary refractory or relapsed malignant lymph oma (47 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and four Hodgkin's disease) were treate d with a new chemotherapeutic regimen (cisplatinum, methyl GAG, bleomo cyin, methyl prednisolon). Among these 51 patients, 41 had measurable disease. Three of these 41 patients achieved complete remissions (7.3% ) and 17 showed partial response (41.5%). The low hematological toxici ty of this chemotherapeutic combination allowed us to give the full do se at the planned cycle date in 90% of the cycles. No major toxicity w ere observed (two minor neurological toxicities, one ototoxicity assoc iated with oral mucositis toxicity, 6 febrile episodes) during 154 cou rses. With a median follow-up of 12 months, 18% of patients were alive without disease. We conclude that in this particular population of ma lignant lymphomas, cis-BMP is an effective therapy with minimal toxici ty.