Epirubicin in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

Epirubicin (Epi-DX), a new analog of doxorubicin, was administered I.V. once q 3 weeks at the dose of 90 mg/m2 to 20 evaluable patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL). Eighty-two percent of patients with favorable histology and 67% with unfavorable histology achieved complete or partial remissions, with an overall response rate of 75%. Gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicity was generally mild to moderate. Reversible ST-T changes were observed only in two patients. Epi-DX has high activity in patients with NHL, and further studies in combination with other agents are recommended.