Phase II trial of bisantrene in patients with intermediate and high grade diffuse non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

Sixteen heavily pretreated patients with advanced intermediate and high-grade diffuse non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were treated with 260 mg/M2 of bisantrene every three weeks. Thirty infusions of bisantrene were given without evidence of objective response. Pain in the infused arm, with or without signs of phlebitis, was the most common side effect occurring in 40% of treated patients. At the doses employed bisantrene had little activity as a single agent in this group of previously treated patients with unfavorable histology NHL.