A NEW CHEMOTHERAPY REGIMEN FOR TREATMENT OF HODGKINS-DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH MINIMAL GENOTOXICITY

Recently, the combination chemotherapy Novantrone, Oncovin, Velban, Pr ednisone [NOVP] was developed by The University of Texas M. D. Anderso n Cancer Center for treatment of Hodgkin's disease [HD]. Preliminary c linical results show that NOVP is as effective as the traditional Mech lorethamine, Oncovin, Procarbazine, Prednisone [MOPP] regimen in achie ving remission, but with fewer side-effects. To determine if NOVP is g enotoxic, we studied the induction of chromosome breaks and sister chr omatid exchanges [SCEs] in lymphocytes of 42 HD patients both before a nd during NOVP treatment. Furthermore, in vitro bleomycin treatment wa s used to unmask potential single-stranded DNA breaks inducted by the therapy. Our results showed that NOVP did not cause elevated levels of chromosome or single-stranded DNA breaks, or SCEs. These results toge ther with previous findings that NOVP caused minimal acute and gonadal toxicities suggest that NOVP is less toxic than MOPP. Therefore, this new regimen shows promise as an effective and minimally toxic regimen for treatment of HD.