7097 Background: The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and toxicity of two high-dose regimens for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL): BEAM (BCNU, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan) and BuCyE (busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide). Methods: We analysed 65 NHL patients, who underwent high-dose chemotherapy with BEAM (N=43) or BuCyE (N=22), followed by ASCT, at the Asan Medical Center. BEAM was used from February 2002 to October 2005, and BuCyE was used from November 2005 to April 2008. Results: Median age was 46 years (range: 15–68), and baseline characteristics, such as gender, International Prognostic Index (IPI), age adjusted IPI, stage and status of disease at ASCT, and median number of infused CD 34+cells/kg were well balanced between groups. The incidence of mucositis, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding, and the number of events clinically important infections during ASCT did not differ between groups. Median follow-up for survivors was 49.3 months in the BEAM group and 21.5 months in the BuCyE group. Median overall survival (OS) was 30.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.19–53.0 months) and 22.6 months (95% CI, 12.1–33.1 months) and median event-free survival (EFS) was 16.1 months (95% CI, 0.0–53.6 months) and 11.2 months (95% CI, 0.0–22.5 months) in the BEAM and BuCyE group, respectively. There were no significant differences in OS (p=0.636) and EFS (p=0.575) between the two groups. Conclusions: In our analysis, BuCyE appeared to be not inferior to BEAM for survival. And we found that regimen-related toxicities did not differ significantly between the two groups. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Is high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell rescue a suitable option for elderly patients affected by aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma?
