BEACOPP: A new regimen for advanced Hodgkin's disease

Citation
V. Diehl et al., BEACOPP: A new regimen for advanced Hodgkin's disease, ANN ONCOL, 9, 1998, pp. 67-71
Citations number
16
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Oncology,"Onconogenesis & Cancer Research
Journal title
ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY
ISSN journal
0923-7534 → ACNP
Volume
9
Year of publication
1998
Supplement
5
Pages
67 - 71
Database
ISI
SICI code
0923-7534(1998)9:<67:BANRFA>2.0.ZU;2-Z
Abstract
The BEACOPP chemotherapy regimen for advanced Hodgkin's disease employs a r earranged schedule permitting a shortened three-week cycle. With haematolog ical growth factor support, the dosages of cyclophosphamide. etoposide and adriamycin could be moderately escalated. The 3-armed multicentre HD9 trial (recruitment 1993-1998; 1300 patients randomised) aimed to compare BEACOPP with the standard COPP/ABVD chemotherapy and to detect and measure the gai n in efficacy, if any due to moderate dose escalation of BEACOPP. Eight cyc les were given, followed by local irradiation. The most recent interim analysis, with 689 evaluable patients, circa 40% of all expected events and a median observation time of 27 months, showed sig nificant differences in progression rats (F) and in two-year freedom from t reatment failure (F) between the treatment arms, with escalated BEACOPP (P = 2%, F = 89%) better than baseline BEACOPP (P = 9%, F = 81%) better than C OPP/ABVD (P = 13%, F = 72%). Survival was not significantly different. Acut e toxicity was more severe due to dose escalation, but remained manageable. These preliminary results suggest that BEACOPP improves efficacy. Moderate dose escalation is feasible with G-CSF support and appears likely to make a worthwhile improvement in the cure rate. The results must await confirmat ion (or otherwise) by the final analysis including all randomised patients and sufficiently mature data.