Intensive 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) autologous bone marrow transplantation therapy of refractory cancer: a preliminary report.

Eighteen patients with refractory malignancies were treated with escalating doses of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) and autologous bone marrow transplants (BMTX). Hematopoietic recovery was similar with doses of 300mg/m2qd X 3 and 500mg/m2qd X 3 providing suggestive evidence of a myeloprotective effect of the BMTX. Extramedullary toxicity was sporadic but occasionally severe; pulmonary fibrosis and severe cholestatic jaundice were seen in one case each. Antitumor responses were noted in patients with brain tumors, melanoma, hematological neoplasms and lung cancer.