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C Gisselbrecht

Publications and source records attributed to C Gisselbrecht.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Results of three courses of adriamycin, bleomycin, vindesine, and dacarbazine with subtotal nodal irradiation in 189 patients with nodal Hodgkin's disease (stage I, II and IIIA).

AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate in a prospective trial three courses of an ABVD-like chemotherapy (CT) regimen given before radiation therapy (RT) (subtotal nodal irradiation (STNI) in favorable stage Hodgkin's disease (HD). The efficacy, risk factors and medium-term toxicities are reported. PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Stage I or II with at least one of the following factors, mediastinal involvement, histological type 3, age > 40 years, ESR rate > 50 mm, or stage IIIA. 189 patients with newly diagnosed HD were treated between 01/89 and 01/94 (stage I, n = 33; stage II, n = 129, stage IIIA, n = 27). Three courses of an ABVD-like regimen (adriamycin 25 mg/m2, bleomycin 10 mg, vindesine 2 mg/m2 and dacarbazine 250 mg/m2 day 1 and 8) were given before STNI at 36/40 grays. At diagnosis, prognostic factors were distributed as follows: B symptoms (n = 54), bulky mediastinum (n = 41), hemoglobin < 12 g/dl (n = 37), ESR > 50 (n = 65), age > 45 (n = 24). RESULTS: After chemotherapy, 90% had an objective response (partial response > 75%) and 98% were in complete remission (CR) at the end of RT. Three patients had primary refractory disease and 13 patients (7%) relapsed, 3 at the initial site, 4 at previously uninvolved sites and 6 at both. With a median follow-up of 60 months, 170 patients are in 1st CR, 5 in 2nd or greater CR and 11/14 patients have died from HD. Bulky mediastinum (p = 0.009), age > 45 years (p = 0.03) and EST > 50 mm (p = 0.05) were adverse prognostic factors for survival. Bulky mediastinum (p = 0.009) was the only prognostic factor for freedom from progression. TOXICITIES: Two patients died from treatment related toxicity and one patient died with an osteogenic sarcoma. No secondary leukemia has so far been detected. 24 pregnancies were reported. Cardiopulmonary toxicity was always < grade 1 (WHO) in 95 patients evaluated. Two patients over 45 years old had a myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: With an acceptable medium-term toxicity, this treatment achieved 85% survival at 5 years.

Adolescent↗

Benefit of autologous bone marrow transplantation over sequential chemotherapy in poor-risk aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: updated results of the prospective study LNH87-2. Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte.

PURPOSE: To update the randomized study that compared consolidative sequential treatment (ifosfamide, etoposide, asporaginase, and cytarabine) versus the high-dose regimen of cyclophosphamide, carmustine, and etoposide (CBV) followed by autotransplantation in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in first complete remission and to focus on high-intermediate and high-risk patients identified by the international prognostic index. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine hundred sixteen patients received induction treatment on the LNH84 protocol with open randomization for the anthracycline. In a subsequent randomization, 541 patients in complete remission were assigned to receive consolidation by either sequential chemotherapy (n = 273) or autotransplant (n = 268). Among the higher risk population (two or three risk factors), 236 patients in complete remission were assessable for the consolidation phase, with 111 in the sequential chemotherapy arm and 125 in the autotransplant arm. RESULTS: Among 541 randomized patients, disease-free survival and survival did not differ significantly between the two consolidative treatment arms. In the higher risk population, CBV was superior to sequential chemotherapy, with 5-year disease-free survival rates of 59% (95% confidence interval, 49% to 69%) and 39% (95% confidence interval, 28% to 50%), respectively (P = .01, relative risk = 1.19). The 5-year survival rate was superior in the CBV group at 65% (95% confidence interval, 56% to 74%) compared with 52% in the sequential chemotherapy group (95% confidence interval, 42% to 62%) (P = .06, relative risk = 1.49). CONCLUSION: This study shows a superior disease-free survival for higher risk patients in complete remission. Dose-intensive consolidation therapy should be considered for patients at higher risk who achieve complete remission after induction treatment.

Adolescent↗

Follicular large-cell lymphoma treated with intensive chemotherapy: an analysis of 89 cases included in the LNH87 trial and comparison with the outcome of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were as follows: (1) to analyze clinical, histopathologic characteristics, treatment outcome, and prognostic factors of patients with follicular large-cell lymphoma (FLCL); and (2) to compare them with those of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCL) treated in the same therapeutic trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-nine FLCL patients who were histologically reviewed and who received an intensive chemotherapy regimen according to the LNH 87 protocol were analyzed and compared with 1,096 B-cell DLCL patients included in the same protocol. RESULTS: After intensive induction treatment, 59 patients (67%) achieved a complete remission [CR]. Estimated 5-year survival was 59%, and estimated 5-year freedom from progression (FFP) was 39%. Prognostic factors associated with shorter FFP were age greater than 60 years (P = .02), advanced clinical stage (P = .01), abnormal lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) level (P = .02), abnormal beta-2 microglobulin (P = .02), B symptoms (P = .03), bone marrow involvement (P = .04), and high expression of bcl-2 protein (P = .05). When compared with B-cell DLCL patients, FLCL patients were younger (P = .02), had a better Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status (P = .05), less bulky mass (P = .04), more advanced clinical stages (P < .001), and more bone marrow involvement (P = .02). No significant difference was observed between FLCL and DLCL patients for response to therapy (67% v 67% of CR), 5-year overall survival (58% v 51%), 5-year disease-free survival (53% v 57%), or FFP survival (39% v 43%). CONCLUSION: FLCL patients have a favorable response rate and survival when treated with intensive chemotherapy. Their outcome is similar to that of B-cell DLCL patients, and a long-term FFP is observed for a substantial number of patients. Some adverse prognostic factors (including those of the International Prognostic Index, bone marrow involvement, and beta-2 microglobulin) have been identified to define a subset of patients who require other therapeutic approach.

Adolescent↗

Placebo-controlled phase III study of lenograstim (glycosylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: factors influencing chemotherapy administration. Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte.

The purpose of this study was to, assess the efficacy of glycosylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (lenograstim) in the prevention of neutropenia and infection in patients receiving dose-intensive chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). A second objective was to determine clinical predicators of delay to cytotoxic chemotherapy administration. One hundred-sixty two patients with intermediate- or high-grade NHL and at least one poor prognostic factor received a total of 4 cycles of the LNH-84-regimen every 2 weeks, with an open randomization to treatment with anthracyclines. Patients were randomized to receive subcutaneous lenograstim 5 micrograms/kg/day (n = 82) or placebo (n = 80) from day 6 to day 13 of each cycle. The incidence of severe neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 0.5 x 10(9)/L) was reduced in the lenograstim group compared with placebo (52% vs 75%). A significant reduction (p < 0.001) in the median duration of ANC < 0.5 x 10(9)/L was also observed in patients treated with lenograstim during each cycle of chemotherapy (0-1 day vs 2-4 days in placebo recipients). Fever occurred in 66 patients in each treatment group. Thirty-four percent of placebo recipients had documented infections during ANC < 1.0 x 10(9)/L compared with 18.5% of lenograstim-treated patients (p < 0.05). Infections of > or = 2 severity were significantly less frequent (p = 0.001) among lenograstim recipients compared with placebo (25 vs 49). The most common adverse events among lenograstim recipients were headache, mild bone pain and injection site reactions. Although lenograstim significantly increased (p = 0.0001) relative dose intensity compared with placebo (93% vs 80%), no difference in CR rate (67% vs 71%) or 3-year survival (63% vs 55%) was observed. The results of this study suggest that patients treated with a chemotherapy regimen that induces severe neutropenia can benefit from treatment with lenograstim. Furthermore, lenograstim permits treatment to be delivered at full dose intensity at 2 week intervals, even in patients with bone marrow involvement, and may permit further dose escalation of the chemotherapeutic regimen used.

Adolescent↗

Autologous stem cell transplantation in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

High dose therapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has been widely used in the past decade for treating aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in situations in which conventional therapy was not likely to cure patients. In patients achieving complete remission, ASCT has been proposed for consolidation in a group of lymphoma patients sharing adverse prognostic factors with a high risk of relapse. Results from pilot studies were encouraging. Analysis of the large randomized LNH87 trial, showed an increased survival and disease free survival advantage for ASCT performed after CR when compared to conventional chemotherapy if patients with 2 or more adverse factors were included. For patients who do not achieve CR after conventional treatment, but who are still sensitive to chemotherapy, ASCT may improve results. Pilot studies as well as randomized studies offer support for this approach. Intensive treatment with ASCT has been reported in thousands of relapsing lymphoma patients. For those remaining sensitive to salvage chemotherapy at 5 years, a 40% probability of disease free survival has been uniformly noted. Moreover, these results were confirmed by the randomized PARMA study testing ASCT vs conventional chemotherapy. ASCT is accepted by most centers as the treatment of choice for relapsing lymphoma. For lymphoblastic lymphoma and Burkitt's lymphoma, the role of ASCT in first CR is not well defined, although results from pilot studies and the analysis of registry data support the use of ASCT in lymphoblastic lymphoma with adverse prognostic factors. In conclusion, data supporting the use of ASCT in lymphoma in different settings has been provided by numerous non randomized trials. Completed randomized studies clearly demonstrate a benefit for ASCT in most relapsing patients as well as a subset of patients with poor prognosis. Socio-economic implications of such results must be evaluated, especially since the development of peripheral hematopoietic stem cells will reduce both toxicity and cost.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation↗

Effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration in elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with a pirarubicin-combination chemotherapy regimen. Groupe d'Etudes des Lymphomes de l'Adulte.

PURPOSE: Results of a multidrug chemotherapy regimen consisting of cyclophosphamide, pirarubicin, teniposide, and prednisolone (CTVP) plus subcutaneous granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January and December 1992, 46 previously untreated patients older than 69 years with intermediate- and high-grade NHL received cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, teniposide 75 mg/m2, pirarubicin 50 mg/m2 day 1, and prednisolone 40 mg/m2 days 1 to 3. G-CSF, 5 micrograms/kg/day, was administered from day 4 up to day 14 or when the absolute neutrophil count reached 5 x 10(9)/l. Six cycles were scheduled every 3 weeks. RESULTS: Grade 3 or grade 4 neutropenia complicated 22% and 26% of chemotherapy cycles, respectively. Fever or/and clinical infection were observed in 4% and 14% of cycles. One toxic death related to a septic shock occurred. Eight cycles (4%) were delayed with a median duration of 7 days. Administered median dose intensity was 93.5%. Objective response rate was 74% and 46% of the patients achieved a complete response. The 2-year overall survival and event-free survival rates were 47% and 28%. CONCLUSION: In comparison with a previous group of patients treated with CTVP, G-CSF allows delivery of chemotherapy with a reduced neutropenia-induced morbidity in an outpatient setting in elderly patients with aggressive NHL without modifying response rate or survival.

Aged↗

Adult Burkitt's and Burkitt-like non-Hodgkin's lymphoma--outcome for patients treated with high-dose therapy and autologous stem-cell transplantation in first remission or at relapse: results from the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

PURPOSE: To investigate the results of treatment for adult patients with Burkitt's and Burkitt-like non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) undergoing high-dose therapy and autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT), and to determine prognostic factors for this group. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 117 adult patients reported to the lymphoma registry of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) between June 1984 and November 1994. Seventy of these patients received high-dose therapy and stem-cell transplantation in first complete remission (CR). Data on all patients were reviewed, and prognostic factors were determined by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The actuarial overall survival (OS) rate for the entire group was 53% at 3 years. The major factor predicting for outcome after transplantation was disease status: the 3-year actuarial OS rate was 72% for patients transplanted in first CR, compared with 37% for patients in chemosensitive relapse, and 7% for chemoresistant patients. For patients transplanted in first CR, disease bulk at the time of ASCT was the only factor predictive of progression-free survival (PFS) and OS. CONCLUSION: The results of high-dose therapy and ASCT for patients with relapsed disease, particularly chemosensitive relapse, are superior to those reported for conventional-dose salvage regimens. The results for patients transplanted in first CR require comparison with modern dose-intensive regimens.

Adolescent↗

Hematologic recovery and survival of lymphoma patients after autologous stem-cell transplantation: comparison of bone marrow and peripheral blood progenitor cells.

Autologous stem-cell transplantation is widely used as part of the treatment of poor prognosis lymphoma patients. Since 1986, peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) mobilized by chemotherapy and/or hematopoietic growth factors have progressively been used instead of autologous bone marrow (BM) cells. Toxicity, engraftment and long-term outcome were compared in a population of relapsing or refractory lymphoma patients given high-dose therapy. During 1986 to 1993, 150 patients with refractory or relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (n = 93) or Hodgkin's disease (n = 57) received intensive therapy followed by the reinjection of BM (n = 72) or PBPC (n = 78). PBPC were collected by aphereses during the phase of hematologic recovery after mobilization by chemotherapy alone (n = 36) or associated with GCSF (n = 43). Conditioning regimens included chemotherapy alone in 77%, associated with total body irradiation (TBI) in 23%. After stem-cell reinfusion, 55% of the PBPC group received GCSF versus 24% in the BM group. Results show that the median time to neutrophil counts > 500/microliters and platelets > 50,000/microliters was significantly shorter in the PBPC than the BM group, respectively 13 versus 23 days and 18 versus 26 days (P < 0.05). This difference remained significant (P < 0.05) when patients were stratified according to the administration or not of GCSF after transplantation. PBPC grafting after high-dose therapy was associated with a median reduction of the hospital stay of 10 days. The majority of patients (90%) maintained normal blood counts at 3 months, and no secondary graft failure was observed in either group. The use of TBI in the conditioning regimen was the only significant factor affecting long-term hematologic recovery. For relapsing patients with histologically aggressive lymphomas, overall survival and failure-free survival were similar in both groups. In conclusion, PBPC transplantation is a safe procedure associated with improvement of hematopoietic recovery and a shortened hospital stay.

Adolescent↗

Cyclophosphamide/mitoxantrone/melphalan (CMA) regimen prior to autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in metastatic breast cancer.

Dose-intensive treatment followed by ABMT is currently used in different approaches to treat breast cancer patients. An active non cross-resistant regimen combining cyclophosphamide (C), mitoxantrone (M) and melphalan (A) (CMA), was developed as the conditioning regimen before ABMT. The purpose of this phase II study was to evaluate this protocol and the duration of its effect in metastatic patients, who responded to chemotherapy. Criteria for inclusion included histologically documented breast cancer, age < 55 years and the first detection of measurable metastatic lesions. Following first-line chemotherapy in responding patients, histologically negative bone marrow was collected and cryopreserved. Then, intensification with cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg), mitoxantrone (60 mg/m2), and melphalan (140 mg/m2) was followed by ABMT. Sixty-one metastatic breast cancer patients with a mean age of 40 years were included. Sites of measurable metastases included: liver 24, lung 14, central nervous system four, pleura three, skin six, and chest wall six, nodes eight and bone marrow one. Nineteen patients had lesions in two or more sites, and 22 had bone involvement. The response of 60 patients could be evaluated: before ABMT 31 were in clinical complete response (CR), 22 in partial response > 50% (PR), and seven had new progression. After ABMT, 36 patients were in CR, 16 in PR, one progressed and one was stable. Seven (11.5%) toxic deaths occurred. Mean time for hematological recovery was 32.5 days, without hematopoietic growth factors. Median survival was 33 +/- 9.4 months from the start of therapy, and 25.7 +/- 4.6 months from the date of ABMT. Median event-free survival was 20 months from the start of therapy, and 13 +/- 2 months from ABMT. With a median follow-up of 51 months, probability of actuarial survival, measured from the beginning of initial chemotherapy, was 36%, and event-free survival was 18%. In metastatic breast cancer responding to chemotherapy, high-dose consolidation with CMA and ABMT resulted in a median survival of 33 months. These results lay the ground work for evaluation in a randomized trial in metastatic breast cancer.

Adult↗

Autologous bone marrow transplantation as compared with salvage chemotherapy in relapses of chemotherapy-sensitive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation is a therapeutic option for patients with chemotherapy-sensitive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who have relapses. In this report we describe a prospective randomized study of such treatment. METHOD: A total of 215 patients with relapses of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were treated between July 1987 and June 1994. All patients received two courses of conventional chemotherapy. The 109 patients who had a response to chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive four courses of chemotherapy plus radiotherapy (54 patients) or radiotherapy plus intensive chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (55 patients). RESULTS: The overall rate of response to conventional chemotherapy was 58 percent; among patients with relapses after chemotherapy, the response rate was 64 percent, and among those with relapses during chemotherapy, the response rate was 21 percent. There were three deaths from toxic effects among the patients in the transplantation group, and none among those in the group receiving chemotherapy without transplantation. The two groups did not differ in terms of prognostic factors. The median follow-up time was 63 months. The response rate was 84 percent after bone marrow transplantation and 44 percent after chemotherapy without transplantation. At five years, the rate of event-free survival was 46 percent in the transplantation group and 12 percent in the group receiving chemotherapy without transplantation (P = 0.001), and the rate of overall survival was 53 and 32 percent, respectively (P = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: As compared with conventional chemotherapy, treatment with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation increases event-free and overall survival in patients with chemotherapy-sensitive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in relapse.

Adolescent↗

Intensive therapy with peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation in 60 patients with poor-prognosis follicular lymphoma.

Intensive therapy, mainly with purged autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT), has been proposed in recent years as consolidation treatment in young patients with follicular lymphoma. Reported experience with transplantation of peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) is, so far, limited. The feasibility and the therapeutic efficacy of intensive therapy followed by unpurged autologous PBPC reinfusion were evaluated in 60 patients with poor-prognosis follicular lymphoma. Twelve patients were in first partial remission (PR), 34 were in second partial or complete remission (CR), and 14 were in subsequent progression. At the time of the procedure, 39 patients (65%) had persistent bone marrow involvement, 49 patients (82%) were in PR, and 16 patients had presented with a histologic transformation (HT). PBPC were collected after chemotherapy followed by granulocyte (G) colony-stimulating factor (CSF) or granulocyte-macrophage (GM)-CSF in 50 patients. Conditioning regimens included high-dose chemotherapy alone (14 patients); mainly the BCNU, etoposide, aracytine, melphalan [BEAM] regimen), or cyclophosphamide with or without etoposide plus total body irradiation (46 patients). The median time to reach a neutrophil count greater than 0.5 x 10(9)/L was 13 days. There were five treatment-related deaths, with four being associated with a delayed engraftment and all occurring in patients in third or subsequent progression. At a median follow-up of 21 months, 48 patients were still alive, 18 relapsed, and seven died of lymphomas progression. Estimated 2-year overall survival (OS) and failure-free survival (FFS) rates were 86% and 53%, respectively, without or plateau. Patients treated in PR1 or PR2/CR2 had a significantly longer rate of OS and FFS than those treated in subsequent progression (P = .002 and P = .001, respectively), whereas age, response to salvage treatment, presence or absence of residual bone marrow involvement, or conditioning regimen had no influence on outcome. Patients with HT tended to have a worse FFS rate (P = .04) without an OS difference. Along with an unusual rate of engraftment failure, the poor FFS observed in heavily pretreated patients suggests that intensive therapy should be performed early in the course of the disease. Given the high percentage of patients intensified in PR with residual bone marrow involvement, our results are comparable with those achieved with ABMT published to date. Prospective trials are warranted to compare this strategy with standard therapy in patients with relapsing or PR follicular lymphoma.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

[Therapeutic intensification and hematopoietic stem cell autotransplantation in the treatment of solid tumors in adults: principles, realization and application to the treatment of germ cell, trophoblastic, breast, ovarian and small-cell bronchial tumors. 1].

Autologous bone marrow transplantation for the treatment of solid tumors in adults remains an uncommon therapeutic approach. The feasibility of such high-dose therapies is clearly proved, especially with the advent of hematopoietic growth factors and the rescue by the peripheral stem cells to reduce the duration of the chemotherapy-induced myeloid aplasia. The question is to exactly define the place of high-dose therapy in the land of solid tumors. For the treatment of primary chemoresistant gonadal germ-cell tumors, the possibility to cure the patients and the interest of high-dose therapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation are clearly demonstrated. As consolidation for the treatment of poor prognosis tumors, the place of high-dose therapies remains moot. For the treatment of chemoresistant extragonadal germ-cell tumors, especially for primary mediastinal tumors, the level of resistance to cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimens is generally too high to be overcome by intensive therapies given as single course or as tandem courses. However in association with debulking surgery, this therapeutic approach has to be considered for some patients. In the treatment of poor prognosis breast cancer, high-dose therapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation or with peripheral stem cells support is able to convert some patients with partial response into complete responders. However, the consequences on overall survival and on disease-free survival are not evident. For metastatic breast cancer and for poor-prognosis tumors (inflammatory breast cancer, axillary metastatic nodes > or = 8), the interest of high-dose therapy has to be determined by randomized studies. These studies are ongoing in USA and in Europe. For the treatment of poor-prognosis ovarian cancer, the situation is more difficult to appraise. Once again, randomized studies have to be done to precisely define the place of high-dose therapy. In the land of small-cell lung carcinomas, high-dose therapy is actually forsaken by most of authors, even for limited diseases. The results of previous studies are disappointing. Moreover, occult medullary micrometastases involvement is frequent, once again even in limited diseases. However new therapeutic associations, as the ICE regimen (IFM, Carboplatin, VP-16) delivered as single or tandem therapy, have to be studied, especially as early consolidation therapy for the treatment of limited small-cell lung carcinomas.

Adult↗

[Treatment of intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults].

In the past 20 years increasing incidence 15/100,000 of non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has been observed. Despite their heterogeneity, intermediate grade NHL are potentially cured with chemotherapy. Advances in our understanding of the biology and in their treatment have been made. Factors, such as age, stage, performance status, and predicting treatment outcome are useful parameters to decide on the intensity of chemotherapy. With conventional treatment, 80% of the patients without adverse prognostic factors can be cured. For patients with at least two adverse factors only 40% are long term survivors. Different dose-escalation chemotherapy regimens have been tested including autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT). At the present time, no clear improvement has been seen in randomized trial when intensification is made after obtention of complete remission. However, for relapsing patients ASCT can provide 46% disease free survival in patients still sensitive to salvage chemotherapy and ASCT is the therapy of choice under 60 years old. New development of technology with mobilized peripheral stem cell (PBPC) allowed to develop early intensive treatment with acceptable toxicity. Encouraging results have been reported and tested in randomized trial in patients less than 60 years old. Improvement of the treatment of older patients remains problematic considering that chemotherapy can increase hematopoietic and non hematopoietic lethal complications reducing the chance to achieve complete remission.

Adult↗

Effect of lenograstim on the cost of autologous bone marrow transplantation. A preliminary communication.

High dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) can produce prolonged remission in patients with malignant lymphoma or solid tumours. However, neutropenia is a serious complication of treatment in patients with these diseases. In this study, we investigated the costs and effects of using lenograstim, a recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, to treat neutropenia in 16 patients with lymphoma or solid tumours. The cost of lenograstim was not included in the calculations. The duration of neutropenia and hospitalisation were both lower in patients who received lenograstim compared with no treatment. The mean cost of autologous BMT was FF142,000 in patients who received lenograstim, compared with FF166,000 in patients who did not. Savings were largely attributable to decreased expenditure on hospitalisation in the lenograstim-treated group. The cost of 14 days' treatment with lenograstim was estimated at FF10,500, based on a daily dosage of 150 micrograms/m2/day.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗