Trial of high-dose cytarabine, cyclophosphamide, total-body irradiation, and autologous marrow transplantation for refractory lymphoma.

Twenty-one patients with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease who had failed to be cured with standard therapy were the subjects of this clinical trial. The patients received cytarabine (3 g/m2 at 12-hour intervals for six or eight doses), cyclophosphamide (90 mg/kg once), and total-body irradiation (one 900-cGy fraction or five 250-cGy fractions). Bone marrow was aspirated and cryopreserved before treatment and reinfused after the completion of radiotherapy. Eighteen patients (86%) had objective response and 12 (57%) achieved complete response. Three patients remain in continuous complete remission for 566+, 604+, and 1035+ days after marrow infusion. Six complete responders had tumor recurrence. One of these patients developed a localized lymphoma of another histology that was successfully treated with local radiotherapy and the patient is currently well 1004+ days after marrow infusion. Another relapsing patient responded to a brief course of salvage chemotherapy and is in remission at 1271+ days. Three of the complete responders died from infectious complications. This regimen was associated with significant toxicity. Six patients died from sepsis during the period of aplasia and three others died from interstitial pneumonia 42-105 days after marrow infusion. Although this regimen demonstrated a high level of antitumor activity, the value of adding high-dose cytarabine to the combination of cyclophosphamide and total-body irradiation remains unclear and would require a randomized clinical trial to demonstrate.