Fotemustine, Etoposide, Aracytin and Melphalan (FEAM), a Different Conditioning Regimen for Lymphoma Treatment with Autologous Hemopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation

Introduction. BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, aracytin, melphalan) is a conditioning regimen used in autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation for Hodgkin Lymphoma and non Hodgkin Lymphoma, with acceptable toxicity and high efficacy. In our study we replaced the carmustine with fotemustine, an analogous chloroethylnitrosourea. Primary end-point was to valuate the feasibility of this modified conditioning regimen.

Patients and Methods. 86 patients were consecutively conditioned in seven BM-Units with FEAM before receiving aHSCT. 44 patients (63%) were male, 32 (37%) female. Median age was 51 years (range, 18–77). 23 patients (27%) had HL, 60 (70%) had NHL (2 SLL, 1 LPL, 1 MZL, 2 FL, 6 MCL, 37 DLBCL, 3 BL, 1 B-LBL, 1 T-LBL, 4 u-PTCL, 2 AIL), 1 patient had a B-CLL, 1 a B-ALL FAB L3 and 1 an aggressive NK-cell leukemia. In the lymphoma group, 22 patients (27%) were in stage II (10 with bulky disease), 20 (24%) in stage III and 41 (49%) in stage IV. Among lymphoma patients, 19 (23%) had a bone marrow involvement, 5 (6%) a central nervous system involvement, including 2 primary central nervous system lymphoma. At the time of transplantation, 41 patients (48%) were in CR, 3 (3%) in VGPR, 32 (37%) in PR, 10 (12%) had a resistant-progressive disease (R/PD); 30 patients (35%) were at first line of therapy, 56 (65%) had received more than one line of therapy. Patients received fotemustine 150 mg/m² on days -7, -6, etoposide 200 mg/m² and aracytin 400 mg/m² on day -5, -4, -3, -2, and melphalan 140 mg/m² on day -1. The median number of CD34+ cells infused was 3.8 × 10⁶/Kg recipient body weight (range, 1–21.8).

Results. Only 2 patients were not evaluated for engraftment and toxicity. Among evaluable patients, all engrafted. The median time to neutrophil (N >0.5 × 10⁶/L) and platelet (PLT >20 × 10⁹/L) recovery was 11 (range, 9–19) and 13 days (range, 6–105) respectively. 55 patients (65%) received trasfusions of red blood cell units, with a median of 2 units (range, 1–8). All patients received platelet trasfusions with a median of 2 units (range, 1–15).

Toxicity. No chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) was observed in 17 patients (20%), 53 patients (63%) had CINV grade I–II, 14 patients (17%) grade III, no grade IV was observed. No mucositis was observed in 16 patients (19%), 45 patients (54%) had mucositis grade I–II, 17 patients (20%) grade III, 6 patients (7%) grade IV. No diarrhea was observed in 50 patients (60%), 29 patients (34%) had diarrhea grade I–II, 5 patients (6%) grade III, no grade IV was observed. No epatic toxicity was observed in 80 pts (95%), 1 patient had epatic toxicity grade I, 1 patient grade II and 2 patients grade III, no grade IV was reported. Only one patient had a transient renal toxicity grade II. No pulmonary toxicity was observed. Fever >38, 5°C was documented in 68 patients (81%) with a median duration of 4 days (range 1–25). GRAM-were identified in 15 patients, GRAM+ in 14 patients, yeasts were isolated in 3 patients and there was only one infection by Pneumocystis Carinii. In the other 35 patients (51%) no organism was identified as the source of the fever which was classified as FUO.

Outcome. At a median follow-up of 5 months (range, 1–16), 79 patients (92%) are alive. On 75 evaluated patients, fifty-nine (79%) are alive and free from disease. Among the seven deceased patients, three died for PD at day +111, +110 and +75 from transplantation respectively, one died for bacterial meningitis at day +45 from transplantation, after a complete hematologic recovery, one in PR died for gastric haemmorrhage from tumor site, and two (1 CR, 1 VGPR) died for comorbidity, respectively at day +150 and +240 from transplantation. TRM at 100 days was 1%. Among the 75 patients who were evaluated after aHSCT, thirty-five patients, out of thirty-six who were in CR before aHSCT, maintained the CR after, for the other thirty-nine, twenty-seven (69%) achieved the CR (three of these had a CNS involvement before aHSCT), one achieved a VGPR, two a PR (ORR 77%), four had a stable disease and five progressed. Considering as treatment failure the relapse, the progression or the death for any cause, in our study the treatment failure was assessed on 16%.

Conclusions. Our study demonstrated the feasibility and the safety of the FEAM, regard its toxicity it was not superior with respect to BEAM. However, a longer follow-up is needed to valuate the efficacy of this modified conditioning regimen in term of clinical response.