Phase 2 trial of infusional cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and etoposide in patients with poor-prognosis, intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma: an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trial (E3493).

Preclinical and clinical evidence suggest a potential advantage for infusional therapy in lymphoma. Sixty-two analyzable patients with predominantly intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma received cyclophosphamide (200 mg/m(2) per day), doxorubicin (12.5 mg/m(2) per day), and etoposide (60 mg/m(2) per day) (CDE) by continuous intravenous infusion for 4 days (96 hours) every 3 weeks for a maximum of 8 cycles. By the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (IPI), 42% were at high risk and 58% were at high-intermediate risk. Complete response (CR) occurred in 30 (48%) patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 35%, 64%), and partial response occurred in 16 (26%) patients, yielding an overall response rate of 74% (95% CI, 62%, 84%). Failure-free survival (FFS) rates at 1 and 2 years were 55% (95% CI, 43%, 67%) and 50% (95% CI, 38%, 62%), respectively. When comparing the outcome for 62 patients receiving infusional CDE with historical data derived from 927 IPI-matched lymphoma patients using a Cox proportional hazards model, there was a nonsignificant trend favoring CDE in FFS (P =.12) and overall survival (P =.09). Severe or life-threatening toxicity included neutropenia (68%), anemia (57%), thrombocytopenia (44%), and infection (24%). Two patients (3%) died of treatment-related infectious complications. The primary end point of improving 1-year FFS from 55% to 70% was not achieved with infusional CDE given as initial therapy in patients with poor-risk intermediate-grade lymphoma. It is unlikely that infusional therapy as used in this study produces a 25% or greater relative improvement in FFS compared with standard therapy.