| Abstract: | Objective: The efficacy of pirarubicin (THP)‐COP was previously compared with cyclophophamide + doxorubicin + vincristine + prednisolone (CHOP) in elderly patients with lymphoma. The subset analysis showed that T‐cell lymphoma had a significantly better response with THP‐COP, whereas no such difference was observed in B‐cell lymphoma. The aim of this study is to confirm the efficacy of THP‐COP in the treatment of T‐cell lymphoma. Methods: We underwent a multicenter phase II study of THP‐COP as a first‐line treatment for T‐cell lymphoma. The overall response rate, survival period, and toxicity were analyzed. Results: Fifty‐three patients were enrolled in this study. Seventeen patients had peripheral T‐cell lymphoma (PTCL), including nine of PTCL not otherwise specified (PTCL‐NOS) and eight of angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma (AITL). Thirty‐six patients had adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), including 20 of acute type and 16 of lymphoma type. A treatment response was obtained in 35 (66%) patients, including 17 (32%) complete responses. Median overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) times were 14.3 months and 5.2 months, respectively. Patients with ATLL showed a tendency to obtain low response rate (61% vs. 77%, P = 0.27) and had a significantly inferior OS (13.3 vs. 28.6 months, P = 0.04) and PFS (4.6 vs. 8.1 months, P = 0.01) in comparison with PTCL. Grade 3 to 4 neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia occurred in 72%, 34%, and 58% of the patients, respectively. Febrile neutropenia was observed in 51% and grade 3 non‐hematological toxicities in 2–9% of the patients. Conclusion: The efficacy of THP‐COP is equivalent to that of CHOP for the first‐line therapy in T‐cell lymphoma. |
