Long-term follow-up of platinum-based lymphoma salvage regimens. The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center experience.

Platinum-based regimens have been the most commonly used salvage therapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). In this update of two of these regimens with long-term follow-up data, we provide evidence that the etoposide-containing regimen (ESHAP) is superior to a cisplatin-cytosine arabinoside-based regimen (DHAP) in response rate, survival, and time to treatment failure. In spite of this superiority, the long-term outcome for most patients with relapsed or refractory NHL remains unfavorable. Newer salvage regimens such as MINE-ESHAP, or, when feasible, high-dose chemotherapy with transplant, are probably better choices than either DHAP or ESHAP alone.