Nonpegylated liposomal doxorubicin is highly active in patients with B and T/NK cell lymphomas with cardiac comorbidity or higher age

Daniel Heintel (1) , Cathrin Skrabs (1) , Alexander Hauswirth (1) , Karin Eigenberger (1) , Christine Einberger (1) , Markus Raderer (2) , Wolfgang R. Sperr (1) , Paul Knöbl (1) , Leonhard Müllauer (3) , Martin Uffmann (4) , Karin Dieckmann (4) , Alexander Gaiger (1) , Ulrich Jäger (1)

1 Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology
2 Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Clinical Oncology
3 Department of Clinical Pathology
4 Department of Radiotherapy and Radiobiology

We used nonpegylated liposomal doxorubicin (NPLD) in cytostatic drug combinations to treat 37 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and pre-existing cardiac disorder or elderly patients with reduced physical state who were ineligible for conventional anthracycline-containing therapy. High remission rates were observed in this poor-risk population: Complete remission rates were 75% for diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and 55% for T/NK cell neoplasm (overall response rate of 80% and 89%, respectively). Twenty-seven patients (73%) are still alive after a median observation time of 14 months. No major cardiac or gastrointestinal toxicity was observed. Extravasation of NPLD in two patients resulted in mild inflammation without tissue damage. Hematologic toxicity was comparable to that of conventional anthracycline-containing regimens. We conclude that NPLD is highly active in combination chemotherapy for lymphoma with low cardiac toxicity in patients with pre-existing cardiac disorders or higher age. Moreover, we also observed remarkable efficacy in T/NK cell lymphomas.

Mots clés: Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas; Nonpegylated liposomal doxorubicin; Efficacy; Cardiac comorbidity; Older age

Daniel Heintel, Cathrin Skrabs, Alexander Hauswirth, Karin Eigenberger, Christine Einberger, et al.. Nonpegylated liposomal doxorubicin is highly active in patients with B and T/NK cell lymphomas with cardiac comorbidity or higher age. Annals of Hematology, 2009, 89 (2), pp.163-169. ⟨10.1007/s00277-009-0796-5⟩. ⟨hal-00535082⟩