High-dose chemotherapy with BUCY or BEAC and unpurged peripheral blood stem cell infusion in patients with low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Forty-nine patients with low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) received high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with busulfan and cyclophosphamide (BUCY) or carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine and CY (BEAC) followed by unpurged autologous peripheral blood stem (PBSC) infusion. All patients had failed initial chemotherapy or progressed after an initial remission. Peripheral blood stem cells were mobilized with CY alone (n = 1), CY, etoposide (n = 19), or CY, etoposide and cisplatin (n = 29) followed by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Twenty-two patients received BU, 16 mg/kg, and CY, 120 mg/kg. Twenty-seven patients received carmustine 300 mg/m2, etoposide 600 mg/m2, cytarabine 600 mg/m2, and CY 140 mg/kg. Four patients (8%) died of non-relapse causes, two (9%) in the BUCY group and two (7%) in the BEAC group. Twenty-seven patients (55%) relapsed or progressed at a median of 9.4 months (2-38) from PBSC infusion. Ten patients who relapsed are alive a median of 31 months (range, 6-47) after relapse. The probabilities of relapse at 3.6 years for patients receiving BUCY or BEAC were 0.57 and 0.70, respectively (P = 0.92). Twenty-seven patients (55%) are alive at a median of 3.6 years (range, 1-5). The probabilities of survival at 3.6 years for patients receiving BUCY or BEAC were 0.58 and 0.55, respectively (P = 0.72). The probabilities of EFS at 3.6 years for patients receiving BUCY or BEAC were 0.36 and 0.28, respectively (P = 0.82). It was concluded that BUCY is an active regimen for the treatment of patients with low-grade NHL.