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Role of a Doxorubicin-Containing Regimen in Relapsed and Resistant Lymphomas: An 8-Year Follow-Up Study of EPOCH

From the Division of Clinical Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD; and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.

Address reprint requests to Wyndham H. Wilson, MD, PhD, Medicine Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bldg 10, Room 12N/226, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892; email wilsonw{at}mail.nih.gov

PURPOSE: Curative up-front regimens for non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas contain doxorubicin, vincristine, and cyclophosphamide, whereas salvage regimens generally contain non–cross-resistant agents. We hypothesized that up-front agents may be highly effective for salvage and developed an infusional regimen based on in vitro evidence of increased efficacy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective phase II study of etoposide, vincristine, and doxorubicin over 96 hours with bolus cyclophosphamide and oral prednisone (EPOCH) was performed in 131 patients with relapsed or resistant lymphoma.

RESULTS: Seventy-nine percent of patients had aggressive histologies, 46% were considered high risk by the International Prognostic Index, and 34% had resistant disease. Eighty-eight percent of patients had received at least four of the agents in EPOCH, and 94% had received doxorubicin. In 125 assessable patients, 29 (24%) achieved complete responses and 60 (50%) achieved partial responses. Among 42 patients with resistant disease, 57% responded, and in 28 patients with relapsed aggressive de novo lymphomas, 89% responded with 54% complete responses. With a median follow-up of 76 months, the overall and event-free survivals (EFS) were 17.5 and 7 months, respectively. In 33 patients with sensitive aggressive disease who did not receive stem-cell transplantation, EFS was 19% at 36 months. Toxicity was primarily hematologic, with an 18% incidence of febrile neutropenia. No clinically significant cardiac toxicity was observed, despite no maximum cumulative doxorubicin dose.

CONCLUSION: EPOCH is highly effective in patients who had previously received most/all of the same drugs and produces durable remissions in curable subtypes. Salvage regimens need not contain non–cross-resistant agents, and infusional schedules may partially reverse drug resistance and reduce toxicity.

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