BIWEEKLY THP-COPBLM (PIRARUBICIN, CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE, VINCRISTINE, PREDNISONE, BLEOMYCIN AND PROCARBAZINE) REGIMEN COMBINED WITH GRANULOCYTE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR (G-CSF) FOR INTERMEDIATE-GRADE AND HIGH-GRADE NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA

Biweekly THP-COPBLM including pirarubicin (THP), which is thought to b e less toxic than doxorubicin, was used to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphom a (NHL) and the remission rate and adverse events were studied in 42 p atients younger than 69 years. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 37 patients (88.1%) and partial remission in five (11.9%). Classified by international prognostic index, CR was achieved in 16 out of 17 lo w-intermediate-risk patients, 14 out of 16 high-intermediate-risk pati ents and seven out of nine high-risk patients. The 3-year survival rat e was 72.1% and the 3-year event-free survival rate was 58%. Grade 3 o r higher adverse events included granulocytopenia in 39 patients (92.9 %) and thrombocytopenia in seven (16.7%). The biweekly THP-COPBLM regi men appears useful for the treatment of aggressive intermediate- and h igh-grade NHL, and G-CSF made it possible to shorten the interval betw een courses of chemotherapy. Further studies regarding adverse events on organs, other than on bone marrow are required to improve the long- term results of combination therapy on NHL.