PILOT-STUDY AND RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF MITOXANTRONE AND IFOSFAMIDE FOR RELAPSED NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA

This report compares a pilot study followed by a trial of the combination of mitozantrone and ifosfamide for relapsed lymphoma. In the pilot study (15 patients) toxicity and activity of the combination was tested on a variety of relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the trial (19 patients) the therapy was confined to patients with high and intermediate grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in which the combination was compared against single agent mitozantrone. The median survival of patients on the pilot and trial was very poor at around six months, but some individuals survived for several years from both groups. The main toxicities of treatment were, predictably, nausea and vomiting and bone marrow suppression on the combination, and bone marrow suppression alone on the single agent mitozantrone. There was no obvious disadvantage of the single agent treatment when compared with the combination, but this statement has to be interpreted with caution given the high death rate amongst all patients and the very small numbers who entered the randomised trial.