Fludarabine, Mitoxantrone and Dexamethasone for the First Line Treatment of Patients with Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL): GATLA First Interim Report (Grupo Argentino de Tratamiento de la Leucemia Aguda).

Background: fludarabine (F) is licensed for the management of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma in countries such as Canada and Switzerland. Clinical evidence suggests that fludarabine monotherapy is as least as effective, than conventional therapies such as cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone (CVP) for the first and second line treatment of B-cell low grade NHL achieving objective response rates. Better response rates can be achieved combining F with Mitoxantrone (N) and Dexamethasone (D) in indolent NHL patients (pts). The GATLA (Grupo Argentino de Tratamiento de la Leucemia Aguda) started a prospective multicenter national study to evaluate the use FND as a first line treatment for low grade NHL.

Aims: to assess the response rate, safety, disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of FND as first line treatment for indolent NHL during (2002–2006).

Methods: Ninety-six patients in the period of January 2002 to April 2006 were recruited. Sixty-nine patients were valuable at the time of analysis. Median age 54 years old (range: 21–79). Gender: male 51% and female 49%. Inclusion criteria for low grade NHL-LG was: non-previous, age > 18 years old with symptomatic disease, ECOG performance status 0–2 and written informed consent. Ann Arbor staging:

• 5,8%,

• 14,5%,

• 24,6% and

• 55%.

FND treatment consisted of F 25 mg/m² i.v. (days 1–3), N 10 mg/m m² i.v. (day 1) and D 20 mg (days 1–5) each 28 days for 6 cycles. All patients received oral antibiotics for intestinal decontamination, antifungal prophylaxis and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole as P. carinii prophylaxis for one year.

Results: on this low grade NHL cohort the overall response rate (ORR) was 93% (ORR) with 70% (48 pts) with complete response (CR) and 23% (16 pts) with partial response; progressive disease and non-response 7% (5 pts). The probability of event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) at 24 months was 60% and 90% respectively. Two patients developed secondary malignancies after treatment and one died. Only one patient died in CR.

Conclusions: in this population FND treatment demonstrate a high CR rate with low toxicity and high probability of EFS and OS as previous experience published in the literature.