PROLONGED DISEASE-FREE SURVIVAL IN RELAPSED REFRACTORY LOW-GRADE LYMPHOMA TREATED WITH FLUDARABINE - A REPORT OF 4 CASES/

The report four patients with relapsed or refractory follicular (three ) and lymphoplasmacytic (one) lymphoma who achieved complete remission (CR) with flurdarabine (FDR) lasting from 3.2 to 6 years. One had sta ge III and three stage TV and were resistant to chlorambucil and/or au thracycline. FDR was well tolerated, the only complication being herpe s tester infection in three patients. which was controlled with aciclo vir. One patient developed a gastric MALT lymphoma from a different cl one than the follicular lymphoma. In conclusion, some patients with re fractory low-grade lymphoma achieve long-term CR with FDR; therefore t his agent may be considered as alternative to stem-cell transplantatio n.