Abstract
Single adriamycin (ADM) therapy was given to 29 courses of 27 patients with advanced (stage III and IV) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma refractory to prior combination chemotherapy with vincristine and/or bleomycin.
Fifteen patients received ADM in a dose of 30∼40mg intravenously for 2∼3 consecutive days every 3 or 4 weeks (schedule A).
Five complete and four partial remission were obtained with mean remission duration of 32 days.
Nine patients received ADM in a dose of 10∼20mg intravenously for 4∼8 consecutive days every 3 or 4 weeks (schedule B). One complete and four partial remission were obtained with mean remission duration of 41 days.
Five patients received ADM in a dose of 20∼40mg intravenously once a week for 3∼4 weeks (schedule C). Only 3 patients went into partial remission with mean remission duration of 10 days.
Major side effects included alopecia, stomatitis, and myelosuppression. Alopecia and stomatitis were observed in 59.6% and 48.1%, respectively. Thrombocytopenia (<50,000/cmm) and severe leukopenia (<1,000/cmm) were observed in 49% and 29%, respectively.
The changes in ECG were seen in 20% of patients with cumulative dose less than 100mg.
Thus, our study suggests that ADM is an effective agent in the treatment of advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and schedule A appeared to be more effective than schedule B and C.
