Effective therapy for Burkitt's lymphoma: High-dose cyclophosphamide + high-dose methotrexate with coordinated intrathecal therapy

1979 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irma Ramirez ◽  
MargaretP. Sullivan ◽  
Yeu-ming Wang ◽  
R.G. Martin ◽  
J.J. Butler
1985 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 627-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
M P Sullivan ◽  
I Ramirez

Twenty-four children with Burkitt's lymphoma were treated beginning May 1976 with a regimen alternating high doses of cyclophosphamide and methotrexate in induction and consolidation; only high doses of methotrexate were used in the maintenance phase. Throughout therapy, which was planned for 54 weeks, intrathecal chemoprophylaxis using methotrexate, cytosine arabinoside, and hydrocortisone was coordinated with the high-dose methotrexate infusion therapy to provide CNS chemoprophylaxis that maintained therapeutic methotrexate spinal fluid levels (greater than 10(-6) mol/L) for approximately 60 hours. Twenty-two (92%) of the 24 children attained complete remission; two (8.3%) patients attained only partial remission, failing therapy. Two children died of infection while in complete remission; two children relapsed on therapy. Actual survival is 75%; the median follow-up time is 38+ months (range, 1 1/2+ to 84+ months). Relapses correlated with Murphy disease stage as follows: stage I--0/3, stage II--2/7, stage III--2/10, and stage IV--0/2. Serious side effects and toxicities of chemotherapy occurred in ten patients (metabolic disturbances after rapid tumor lysis, two; infectious and/or febrile episodes following cyclophosphamide therapy, three; methotrexate side effects, four; and complications of intrathecal therapy, one). Results of this therapy are similar to those of the best regimens that have been reported. Treatment has been adapted for use in Burkitt's lymphoma by the Pediatric Oncology Group; the responsiveness of other B cell lymphomas of childhood to this treatment is also being determined.


1991 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret P. Sullivan ◽  
Martin Brecher ◽  
Irma Ramirez ◽  
Abdel Ragab ◽  
Eva Hvizdala ◽  
...  

1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 911-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
A J Veerman ◽  
K Hählen ◽  
W A Kamps ◽  
E F Van Leeuwen ◽  
G A De Vaan ◽  
...  

PURPOSE Here we report the results of a nationwide cooperative study in the Netherlands on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. The aim of the study was to improve the cure rate and to minimize side effects in a group of non-high-risk ALL patients, especially with regard to the CNS. A second aim was to study potential prognostic factors. METHODS Children (age 0 to 15 years) with non-high-risk ALL (WBC count < 50 x 10(9)/L, no mediastinal mass, no B-cell phenotype, and no CNS involvement) were treated with a uniform protocol, ALL VI. The treatment protocol used 6-week induction regimen with three drugs (vincristine, dexamethasone, and asparaginase), three weekly doses of intravenous (IV) medium high-dose methotrexate (2 g/m2), and 2-year maintenance therapy that consisted of alternating 5-week periods of methotrexate and mercaptopurine and 2-week periods of vincristine and dexamethasone. In the first year of maintenance, triple intrathecal therapy was administered every 7 weeks. RESULTS From December 1, 1984 until July 1, 1988, 291 children with ALL were diagnosed; 206 were categorized as non-high-risk (71%), and 190 were treated according to protocol ALL VI. At 8 years, the event-free survival (EFS) rate was 81% (SE = 3%) and survival rate 85% (SE = 2.9%); the median follow-up time was 7.3 years (range, 36 to 117 months). The CNS relapse rate was 1.1% (two of 184 patients who achieved a complete remission [CR]). The only factor found to be of negative prognostic importance in terms of EFS (P = .05) was a positive acid phosphatase reaction. CONCLUSION For children with non-high-risk ALL, the combination of IV medium high-dose methotrexate (2 g/m2 times three), triple intrathecal therapy in the first year of maintenance treatment, and the use of dexamethasone for induction and pulses during maintenance treatment has proved to be highly effective, especially in the prevention of CNS relapse. A high cure rate was achieved without the use of anthracyclines, alkylating agents, and cranial irradiation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. e237512
Author(s):  
Sanjeev Khera ◽  
Randhir Ranjan ◽  
Sateesh Ramachandran ◽  
Ajay Beriwal

Symptomatic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an uncommon problem. Direct DILI is dose-related, predictable with short latency (hour to days) and is generally associated with transient and reversible transaminitis without jaundice. Antimetabolites including methotrexate are a common cause for direct DILI. Hepatotoxicity associated with high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) is generally transient and includes reversible elevation of transaminase in up to 60% and associated hyperbilirubinaemia (≤grade 2) in 25% of courses and therefore is of no clinical significance. Severe grades of DILI with HD-MTX (grade ≥4) are extremely rare. We describe an adolescent with Burkitt leukaemia who had reversible grade 4 DILI including hyperbilirubinaemia postfirst course of HD-MTX. Rechallenge with two-third dose of HD-MTX in subsequent chemotherapeutic cycle did not cause recurrence of DILI.


Author(s):  
Riitta Niinimäki ◽  
Henri Aarnivala ◽  
Joanna Banerjee ◽  
Tytti Pokka ◽  
Kaisa Vepsäläinen ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Low doses of folinic acid (FA) rescue after high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) have been associated with increased toxicity, whereas high doses may be related to a decreased antileukemic effect. The optimal dosage and duration of FA rescue remain controversial. This study was designed to investigate, whether a shorter duration of FA rescue in the setting of rapid HD-MTX clearance is associated with increased toxicity. Methods We reviewed the files of 44 children receiving a total of 350 HD-MTX courses during treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia according to the NOPHO ALL-2000 protocol. Following a 5 g/m2 HD-MTX infusion, pharmacokinetically guided FA rescue commenced at hour 42. As per local guidelines, the patients received only one or two 15 mg/m2 doses of FA in the case of rapid MTX clearance (serum MTX ≤ 0.2 μmol/L at hour 42 or hour 48, respectively). Data on MTX clearance, FA dosing, inpatient time, and toxicities were collected. Results Rapid MTX clearance was observed in 181 courses (51.7%). There was no difference in the steady-state MTX concentration, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, neutropenic fever, or neurotoxicity between courses followed by rapid MTX clearance and those without. One or two doses of FA after rapid MTX clearance resulted in a 7.8-h shorter inpatient time than if a minimum of three doses of FA would have been given. Conclusion A pharmacokinetically guided FA rescue of one or two 15 mg/m2 doses of FA following HD-MTX courses with rapid MTX clearance results in a shorter hospitalization without an increase in toxic effects.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Usman Arshad ◽  
Max Taubert ◽  
Tamina Seeger-Nukpezah ◽  
Sami Ullah ◽  
Kirsten C. Spindeldreier ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to identify sources of variability including patient gender and body surface area (BSA) in pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure for high-dose methotrexate (MTX) continuous infusion in a large cohort of patients with hematological and solid malignancies. Methods We conducted a retrospective PK analysis of MTX plasma concentration data from hematological/oncological patients treated at the University Hospital of Cologne between 2005 and 2018. Nonlinear mixed effects modeling was performed. Covariate data on patient demographics and clinical chemistry parameters was incorporated to assess relationships with PK parameters. Simulations were conducted to compare exposure and probability of target attainment (PTA) under BSA adjusted, flat and stratified dosing regimens. Results Plasma concentration over time data (2182 measurements) from therapeutic drug monitoring from 229 patients was available. PK of MTX were best described by a three-compartment model. Values for clearance (CL) of 4.33 [2.95–5.92] L h− 1 and central volume of distribution of 4.29 [1.81–7.33] L were estimated. An inter-occasion variability of 23.1% (coefficient of variation) and an inter-individual variability of 29.7% were associated to CL, which was 16 [7–25] % lower in women. Serum creatinine, patient age, sex and BSA were significantly related to CL of MTX. Simulations suggested that differences in PTA between flat and BSA-based dosing were marginal, with stratified dosing performing best overall. Conclusion A dosing scheme with doses stratified across BSA quartiles is suggested to optimize target exposure attainment. Influence of patient sex on CL of MTX is present but small in magnitude.


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