In a nutshell
This study examined the safety and effectiveness of the chemotherapy combination IGEV. This study concluded that this combination benefitted patients with Hodgkin lymphoma who had relapsed or who had not responded to other treatment.
Some background
Recent treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma have led to very high cure rates. Some patients, though, do not respond to initial treatment. This is called refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. In some patients the cancer returns after a period of being cancer-free (remission). This is called relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma. The standard treatment for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma includes several cycles of chemotherapy (known as salvage chemotherapy) followed by high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant (infusion of immature blood cells). Salvage chemotherapy is used to decrease tumor size before a transplant.
The success of this treatment regimen depends on many factors. One important factor is how well the cancer responds to salvage chemotherapy. It is important to identify the most effective chemotherapy combinations. One possible combination is ifosfamide, gemcitabine, and vinorelbine (IGEV).
Methods & findings
This study examined the safety and effectiveness of the IGEV chemotherapy combination in patients with refractory or relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma. This study included 91 patients: 39.6% with refractory and 60.4% with relapsed disease. All patients were previously treated with chemotherapy. 60.4% were also previously treated with radiation. Patients were treated in the current study with 2 to 4 cycles of IGEV. Patients were followed for an average of 26 months.
Complete remission (disappearance of cancer) was seen in 53.8%. Partial remission was seen in 27.5%. Patients who responded to the chemotherapy used before IGEV and patients with fewer areas of cancer in the body were more likely to respond to IGEV. The rate of 3-year progression-free survival (time from treatment until disease progression) was 52.98%. An adequate number of stem cells were collected in 98.7% of the 79 patients who were to undergo transplantation.
Side effects related to IGEV were mild. Out of 313 IGEV cycles, the doses had to be reduced in 8.6%. This was due mainly to low levels of certain types of blood cells. Infections occurred in 3.5%, but none were serious.
The bottom line
This study concluded that the IGEV chemotherapy combination was safe and effective in patients with refractory or relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma.
Published By :
Haematologica
Date :
Jan 01, 2007
