[Efficacy of DICE (dexamethasone, etoposide, ifosfamide, and cisplatin) regimen on recurrent and refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: There is no standard salvage regimen for patients with recurrent and refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) so far. This study was to investigate the efficacy of DICE (dexamethasone, isofosfamide, cisplatin, and etoposide) regimen on recurrent and refractory NHL, and observe the adverse events.

METHODS

Clinical records of 80 patients with recurrent and refractory NHL, who failed to get remission from CHOP regimen (cyclophosfamide, vincristine, and donaurubicin) and accepted DICE as a salvage regimen for 6 cycles, were reviewed. Of the 80 patients, 25 were T-cell original, and the other 55 were B-cell original. The efficacy of DICE regimen and adverse events were evaluated.

RESULTS

The total response rate (RR) of these 80 patients was 56.3%. The complete remission (CR) rate was 27.5%.The total response rate was 48.0% for T-cell NHL and 60.0% for B-cell NHL. The CR rate was 16.0% for T-cell NHL and 32.7% for B-cell NHL. Myelosuppression, nausea, vomit, alopecia, and electrolytes disorder were major adverse events, and could be cured after treatment. No chemotherapy-related death occurred.

CONCLUSION

DICE regimen is effective in treating recurrent and refractory NHL.