COMBINATION CHEMOTHERAPY WITH COP-BLAM-III FOR INTERMEDIATE AND HIGH-GRADE NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA

The clinical effects of COP-BLAM III combination chemotherapy and reco mbinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) were exa mined in 60 patients with intermediate or high-grade non-Hodgkin's lym phoma (NHL). The patients consisted of 37 men and 23 women with a medi an age of 53 years. The modified COP-BLAM III regimen based on the met hod of Boyd et al. consisted of six cycles of 6 weeks duration each. T he complete remission rate for all patients was 83.3% (50 of 60 patien ts). With the median observation duration of 47.5 months, the overall median survival time for all patients was 86 months or more. The disea se-free survival rate for the 50 CR patients was 88.2% at 86 months. T he incidence of infections was significantly reduced by the concomitan t use of rhG-CSF. The most common adverse effect was neutropenia (less -than-or-equal-to 1000/mul). The percent diffusing capacity for carbon monooxide in the lung (%DLCO) was reduced in 12 of the 60 patients (2 0.0%). We conclude that COP-BLAM III is a useful regimen for intermedi ate and high-grade NHL. However, caution is required since some elderl y patients bad reduced pulmonary function.