Biweekly COP-BLAM (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, bleomycin, doxorubicin and procarbazine) regimen combined with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

We evaluated the efficacy and adverse effects of biweekly COP-BLAM (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, bleomycin, doxorubicin and procarbazine) therapy combined with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for treating non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). A complete remission was achieved in 65 (90.3%) of the 72 patients. The median follow-up period was 28 months, and 64 patients were alive at the time of writing. Treatment was delivered as scheduled to 61 patients. G-CSF made it possible to shorten the interval between courses of chemotherapy. One of the 72 patients died of granulocytopenia and pneumonia; no other severe infections were noted. Further studies regarding adverse effects on organs other than the bone marrow are required to improve the long-term results of combination therapy on NHL.