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Long-term follow-up after fludarabine treatment in pretreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia
P L Zinzani1, M Bendandi, M Magagnoli
1Istituto di Ematologia e Oncologia Medica "Seràgnoli", Policlinico S. Orsola, Via Massarenti 9, 40121 Bologna, Italy. plzinzo@med.unibo.it
Background And Objectives:
A study update to assess long-term survival following fludarabine salvage treatment in previously treated patients with chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL).
Design And Methods:
From September 1992 to December 1995, 74 patients with advanced, relapsing B-cell CLL were enrolled in the study. Fludarabine was given for 5 consecutive days at the dose of 25 mg/m2/day in a 30 min infusion. Treatment was repeated every 28 days for a maximum of 6 courses.E RESULTS. Nineteen (26%) patients achieved a complete response (CR) and 20 (27%) patients had a partial response (PR), giving an overall response rate of 53%. The median overall survival was 68 months, and there was a strong negative correlation with the number of previous treatments. The median time to progression was 18 months for patients who achieved a CR and 12 months for those with a PR.
Interpretation And Conclusions:
The results obtained with fludarabine alone in this subset of CLL patients indicate the existence of a conspicuous disease-free survival period. This time window could be used to consolidate the initial response with either biological approaches or high-dose therapeutic strategies such as autologous bone marrow transplantation, with the aim of eventual eradication of the disease.