[Late phase II study with 21-consecutive-day oral administration of etoposide for malignant lymphoma]

We conducted a multi-institutional (33 institutes), late phase II study with a 21-consecutive-day oral administration of etoposide for malignant lymphoma. Patient entry criteria were either those refractory to standard therapies or those for whom no appropriate therapy was available. A once-daily dose of 50 mg/body was administered for 21 consecutive days. Of the evaluable 83 among 88 entry patients, the overall response rate was 53.0% (44/83), including 10 CR; 52.5% (42/80, 9 CR) with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 100% (2/2, 1 CR) with Hodgkin's disease. Regarding abnormal laboratory findings, myelosuppression was observed; the incidence rates of leukopenia (23.3% with Grade 3), neutropenia (32.6%), hemoglobin decrease (17.4%) and thrombocytopenia (4.7%) were 70.9%, 65.1%, 54.7% and 19.8%, respectively. Major adverse reactions and their incidence were: anorexia 43.0%, alopecia 37.2%, nausea/vomiting 32.6%, fatigue 18.6%, stomatitis 15.1%, fever 7.0% and diarrhea 5.8%. Therefore, a 21-consecutive-day oral administration of 50 mg/body/day or 75 mg/body/day appears to be effective for the treatment of malignant lymphoma.