MITOXANTRONE, TENIPOSIDE, CHLORAMBUCIL AND PREDNISONE (MVLP) FOR RELAPSED NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA - THE IMPACT OF ADVANCED AGE AND PERFORMANCE STATUS

Fifty-seven patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of low , intermediate and high-grade malignancy were treated with mitoxantron e, teniposide (Vm26), chlorambucil (Leukeran) and prednisone (MVLP). T he median age was 71 years; none of the patients was excluded due to p oor performance status (PS). Out of 44 patients with PS (according to WHO) less-than-or-equal-to 2, 38 responded with a median progression f ree survival (PFS) of 21.5 months. Of 13 patients with PS > 2, 6 respo nded with a median PFS of 8.2 months. Haematopoietic toxicity was rela ted to PS rather than to dose intensity or bone marrow involvement. Th ree patients died within a short time due to toxicity; another two die d later as a result of cardiac failure probably due to accumulated tox icity of adriamycin and mitoxantrone. MVLP chemotherapy is effective a nd feasible and has only moderate toxicity in patients with relapsed N HL and PS less-than-or-equal-to 2, despite advanced age.