Etoposide in leukemia, lymphoma and bone marrow transplantation

Etoposide, an epipodophyllotoxin structurally related to vincristine, is active in solid tumors. Trials of etoposide in hematologic malignancies, particularly leukemia and lymphoma, were initiated in 1973. Subsequent studies indicate that etoposide, either as a single agent or in combination with other drugs, is active in acute myelogenous leukemia, non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin lymphoma. Etoposide may be effective in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but it is inactive in chronic myelogenous leukemia. The major toxicity of etoposide is myelosuppression. Non-hematologic toxicity is relatively mild at doses up to 2000 mg/m2. This feature favors its use in high dose regimens such as those employed before bone marrow transplantation. Preliminary studies of etoposide in autologous bone marrow transplantation in lymphoma and Hodgkin disease are promising. Studies of high dose etoposide in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents or in the context of bone marrow transplantation are in progress.