CHOP-based Chemotherapy is as effective as alternating PEEC/CHOP chemotherapy in a randomised trial in high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

• Published in: European journal of cancer (1990) 1997-07, Vol.33 (8), p.1195-1201
• Main Authors: Cameron, D.A, White, J.M, Proctor, S.J, Prescott, R.J, Leonard, R.C.F, Angus, B, Cook, M.K, Dawes, P.J.D.K, Dawson, A.A, Evans, R.G.B, Galloway, M.J, Harris, A.L, Heppleston, A, Home, C.H.W, Krajewski, A.S, Lennard, A.L, Lessells, A.M, Lucraft, H.H, MacGillivray, J.B, Mackie, M.J, Parker, A.C, Roberts, J.T, Taylor, P.R.A, Thompson, W.D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Chemotherapy; CHOP; Medical sciences; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; randomised trial; survival
• ISSN: 0959-8049; 1879-0852
• DOI: 10.1016/S0959-8049(97)00051-8

The aim of this study was to test whether survival for patients with high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) can be improved with a non-cross-resistant regimen as compared to a CHOP-based regimen. This is a multicentre study comprising 325 adult patients, median age 58 years, with highgrade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: patients of any age and performance status were eligible provided they were able to receive the drugs in the regimens. Patients were randomised to either B-CHOP-M (bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone and methotrexate) or PEECM (methylprednisolone, vindesine, etoposide, chlorambucil and methotrexate) alternating with BCHOP-M. At a median follow-up of 9 years, there was no significant difference in overall survival or disease-free survival between the two arms. Toxicities for the two regimens were equivalent. This study confirms that for relatively unselected patients with high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, an alternating multidrug regimen does not improve upon the results obtained with B-CHOP-M.