Comprehensive geriatric assessment in elderly patients with newly diagnosed aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with multi-agent chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this prospective observational study is to evaluate the relation of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) to tolerability and survival of multi-agent chemotherapy for curative intent in elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who were 1) age ≥65 years, 2) newly diagnosed aggressive NHL, and 3) treated with multi-agent chemotherapy within 2 weeks from the time of diagnosis were enrolled from January 2011 to June 2014. Baseline clinical, laboratory, and CGA data being composed of Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), Korean version of Mini Mental Status Exam, Korean-Geriatric Depression Scale, and Groningen Frailty Index (GFI), were collected and analyzed for the relation to the outcome factors. RESULTS: Seventy patients were included; the median age was 73.5 years, 27 (38.6%) patients were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 2 or more, and half of the patients were high or high-intermediate risk by age-adjusted international prognostic index (aaIPI). Most patients received CHOP or CHOP-like chemotherapy. Factors affecting discontinuation of chemotherapy within 12 weeks were poor MNA-SF, poor GFI, poor PS, and presence of B symptom. Among those, poor MNA-SF was independent of other variables in multivariate analysis. Poor MNA-SF, bone marrow involvement, and baseline anemia of hemoglobin<10g /dL were found to be independent factors associated with inferior overall survival whereas aaIPI factors were not. CONCLUSION: MNA-SF predicted tolerability to multi-agents chemotherapy and overall survival in elderly patients with aggressive NHL who were treated with multi-agent chemotherapy.

Comparison in low-tumor-burden follicular lymphomas between an initial no-treatment policy, prednimustine, or interferon alfa: a randomized study from the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes Folliculaires. Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte.

PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively in patients with follicular lymphoma and a low tumor burden three therapeutic options: delay of any treatment until clinically meaningful progression, immediate treatment with an oral alkylating agent, or treatment with a biologic response modifier, interferon alfa-2b. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma patients with a low tumor burden (n = 193) were randomly assigned to one of three arms: arm 1, no initial treatment (n = 66); arm 2, prednimustine 200 mg/m2/d for 5 days per month for 18 months (n = 64); or arm 3, interferon alfa 5 MU/d for 3 months then 5 MU three times per week for 15 months (n = 63). Clinical characteristics were similar in the three arms. RESULTS: Overall response rates with prednimustine and interferon alfa were 78% and 70%, respectively. The overall response to therapy, when deferred, was similar at 70%. With a median follow-up duration of 45 months after randomization, the median freedom-from-treatment (FFT) interval was 24 months in arm 1 and the interval of freedom from treatment failure (FFTF) was 40 months in arm 2 and 35 months in arm 3. The median overall survival time was not reached and the overall survival rate at 5 years was 78% in arm 1, 70% in arm 2, and 84% in arm 3. Therefore, deferred treatment does not adversely influence survival at 5 years. Patients who progressed within 1 year had a significantly shorter survival duration (median, 48 months). CONCLUSION: Delayed treatment is feasible in patients with follicular lymphoma and a low tumor burden. For patients with early progression, more intensive therapy should be considered. For others, because delay of treatment until significant clinical progression does not seem to hamper the prognosis or subsequent response to treatment, the long-term toxicity of alkylating agents can be reduced.

[Treatment of advanced stage Hodgkin disease with CCNU, etoposide and prednimustine (CEP)]. / Elörehaladott stádiumú Hodgkin-kóros betegek kezelése CCNU, etoposide és prednimustine (CEP) terápiával.

The authors treated 21 advanced, pretreated Hodgkin's disease patients with CEP (CCNU, etoposide, prednimustine) polychemotherapy between March 1988 and February 1993. Complete remission was achieved in 4 patients, partial remission in 8 patients, while 9 patients were unresponsive to treatment. None of the complete responders relapsed during the follow-up period, and the median duration of remission was 24 months. The median survival for the unresponsive and partially responsive patients was less than half a year. Side-effects included gastrointestinal symptoms, myelosuppression and alopecia, but treatment-related deaths did not occur. The present data confirm the favourable impact of CEP polychemotherapy on pretreated, advanced Hodgkin's disease patients.

Continuous versus intermittent prednimustine treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Seventy-eight patients with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were randomized for treatment with prednimustine (Sterecyt) in two different schedules: either receiving continuous treatment at a dosage of 60 mg daily, or intermittent two-week courses with 200 mg daily for five days. The aim of the study was to compare efficacy and side effects of the two different schedules. Forty patients received continuous, and 38 patients intermittent treatment. Objective response was achieved in 66% of 71 evaluable patients, equally distributed between the two treatment arms. The 10-year survival rate was 20% (SE = 6%; continuous treatment) and 11% (SE = 5%; intermittent treatment), respectively (logrank p = 0.26). Median time to response, duration of response and time to progression showed no significant difference between the treatment groups. Median time on treatment was longer for patients treated continuously, probably due to more easily performed dose adjustments in such patients. There was a significant decrease of the white blood cell counts in patients who received prednimustine continuously compared with those treated according to the intermittent schedule (p = 0.02). No significant differences were found regarding the thrombocyte levels. The response rate was closely related to haematological toxicity (p = 0.01). Our results suggest that prednimustine in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas has similar effectiveness both in daily treatment and in a two-weekly intermittent schedule. Continuously given treatment may be easier to govern and, thereby, allow for higher treatment intensity. With respect to toxicity, daily doses of approximately 30-40 mg in previously untreated patients may be recommended.

Prednimustin treatment in primary biliary cirrhosis: a preliminary study.

We observed a decrease in serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatases (ALP) and IgM in five patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) treated with Prednimustin (Sterecyt) for 6 months. In contrast to pretreatment findings, C3 activation was undetectable during treatment in three patients where normalization of serum IgM was achieved. After discontinuation of Prednimustin, bilirubin and ALP levels rapidly returned to pretreatment values, although IgM remained normal for up to 6 months in some patients. We conclude that Prednimustin might be of value in patients with symptomatic PBC where liver transplantation is not an option, and that it should be evaluated in a controlled study. However, the rapid reactivation of the disease after conclusion of treatment must be considered.

Prednimustine and mitoxantrone (PmM) in patients with low-grade malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL).

Thirty-five patients with a mean age of 60.6 years (44-78 years, 22 male, 13 female) with advanced low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), or prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL) were treated every 4 weeks with prednimustine 100 mg/m2 p.o. d 1-d 5 and mitoxantrone 8 mg/m2 i.v. d 1 and d 2. Seven patients had CLL, one lymphocytic NHL, two PLL, 13 immunocytoma, nine centroblastic/centrocytic NHL, and three centrocytic NHL. Twenty-five patients were pretreated. The subjective toxicity of the treatment was mild, with no WHO grade-3 alopecia, polyneuropathy, cardiotoxicity, mucositis, nausea, or vomiting. Hematologic side effects with WHO grade-4 granulopenia and thrombopenia were experienced by 26% and 23% of the patients, respectively. The overall response rate (CR+PR) was 72% for lymphoma patients and 37% for CLL patients, with a median remission duration of 14.6 months. The maximum response was achieved after a median of two treatment courses. Prednimustine with mitoxantrone is a subjectively well tolerated treatment for low-grade malignant NHL, to be further evaluated in phase-III studies. The regimen may shorten the duration of treatment, saving time-consuming out-patient visits and costs.

Comparative pharmacokinetics of chlorambucil and prednimustine after oral administration.

The pharmacokinetics of chlorambucil, phenylacetic acid mustard (the beta-oxidation product of chlorambucil), and prednisolone were investigated in a cross-over study after oral administration of chlorambucil (30 mg) + prednisolone (50 mg) versus prednimustine (300 mg), the ester of chlorambucil and prednisolone. Intact prednimustine could not be detected in plasma at any time. After administration of prednimustine, the plasma concentration-time curves of chlorambucil, phenylacetic acid mustard, and prednisolone showed a retarded profile compared to the administration of the single components. The mean bioavailability was 14% for chlorambucil, 21% for phenylacetic acid mustard, and 22% for prednisolone, when given as prednimustine, compared to the administration of free compounds in stoichiometrically equivalent doses. When given in the oral dosages mentioned above, the average dose-intensity was 62% for chlorambucil, 95% for phenylacetic acid mustard, and 72% for prednisolone, indicating sufficient therapeutic concentrations of the detectable agents.

Randomised trial comparing prednimustine with combination chemotherapy in advanced ovarian carcinoma.

A total of 76 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma were randomised to receive 6 months of treatment with either a combination of hexamethylmelamine, 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin and prednimustine or prednimustine alone following initial surgery. Pathologically confirmed response rates were 35% for combination chemotherapy and 28% for prednimustine, and the overall survival was identical for the two groups. Seven patients achieved a pathologically defined complete response, one of whom relapsed at 8 months; the others remain disease-free 18-36 months (median, 23 months) after presentation. The extent of initial surgery significantly affected the survival of patients receiving prednimustine but not of those receiving combination chemotherapy. Prednimustine can produce durable responses in advanced ovarian cancer using a schedule that results in negligible toxicity.

Prednimustine treatment in malignant lymphomas.

Prednimustine (Stereocyt, Leo 1031) is a chlorambucil ester of prednisolone. Results from clinical trials confirm that prednimustine is active in malignant lymphomas. The efficacy of Stereocyt was evaluated in 25 patients, who were divided into three subgroups: 10 patients with refractory Hodgkin's disease and 7 with refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), while 8 patients received prednimustine as primary therapy for low-grade NHL. Totally 17 partial remissions were observed in all three groups of patients. Leukopenia and thrombopenia were induced in 3 patients, but were mild and reversible after withdrawal of the drug.

Premarin priming before prednimustine, high-dose folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil as salvage chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer.

Thirty patients with advanced and mainly pretreated breast cancer were treated with a combination of premarin, prednimustine, high-dose folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil. Among the 30 evaluable patients, 9 (30%) achieved an objective response (median duration: 9 months). Oral mucositis was the limiting toxicity, while myelosuppression was quite mild. In spite of considerable activity as salvage regimen, these results do not seem better than those achieved in our Institute with high-dose folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil alone.

[Phase II study of prednimustine in follicular lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia].

A phase II study of Prednimustine (PMN) was conducted for follicular lymphoma (FL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). PMN at a dose of 40-60 mg/body, p.o. every day, was administered to 17 patients with FL and 4 with CLL. The dose and schedule of PMN was modified according to hematological toxicity. Among the 17 patients with FL, there were 6 (35.3%) CRs and 7 (41.2%) PRs, with a high response rate of 76.5%. Among the 4 patients with CLL, there were 2 PRs and one case which showed clinical improvement. PMN was effective for cases of FL and CLL refractory to alkylating agents, and therefore the result suggested a lack of clinical cross-resistance to these agents. As to the side effects observed in patients with FL, mild leukopenia (median of lowest count 3,150/mm3) occurred. One case experienced anorexia, while increased appetite was observed in 4 cases. We conclude that PMN is effective for FL and CLL, and that in addition, it has an advantage in that its mild side effects allow long-term administration through outpatient clinics, so that the quality of life for patients is not impaired.

Treatment of refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia with prednimustine: a phase II study using strict response criteria.

Twenty-one patients with refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) were entered into this Northern California Oncology Group (NCOG) study of prednimustine, an ester of chlorambucil and prednisolone. All patients had active disease and were refractory to standard alkylating agent chemotherapy. Treatment consisted of prednimustine 100 mg/m2/day orally for 3 consecutive days every 2 weeks. By strict response criteria used in this study there was one complete remission (CR), no partial remissions (PR), and three cases of clinical improvement (CI) in 18 evaluable patients, for a total response rate of 22%. The median duration of response is 20+ months, with two patients continuing to respond. Toxicity of this intermittent prednimustine regimen consisted primarily of mild to moderate thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. No episodes of treatment-associated infection or hemorrhage occurred, and nonhematologic toxicity was minor. Using strict response criteria, this study fails to confirm previous reports of high response rates for prednimustine in patients with CLL refractory to standard therapy. The significance of the response category of clinical improvement in CLL is demonstrated by the substantial improvement in objective parameters and the long duration of response. This study also emphasizes the need for standardization of response criteria for this disease.

Prednimustine in advanced breast cancer: a review.

This review summarizes the available data of phase II and phase III single-agent trials with predminustine and one phase II trial of prednimustine in combination with methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, and tamoxifen in the treatment of advanced breast cancer. The data available so far indicate that the drug is more active than in combined treatment with the two components, chlorambucil and prednisolone. Future trials should be designed to analyze whether this could be ascribed to a sustained release of the components from the parent drug. The data also indicate that prednimustine is as active but less toxic than cyclophosphamide, but this needs to be confirmed in ongoing randomized comparisons. A number of phase II and phase III trials with prednimustine as a part of combinations are in progress. Mature results from these studies are needed to define the future role of prednimustine in the systemic therapy of breast cancer.

A randomized comparative study of prednimustine and doxorubicin in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

A clinical protocol outline of a study randomizing prednimustine v doxorubicin in patients with metastatic breast cancer is presented. The study has just been initiated, and no results are available at the present time. Unique features of this clinical trial are discussed, including the correlation of objective parameters of tumor response with symptomatic improvement as measured by quality of life, performance status, and pain indices as well as alterations in body weight.