Salvage combination chemotherapy with cytarabine, carboplatin and steroids for relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

We have treated 29 patients (19 men and 10 women) with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with a combination of cytarabine (Ara-C), carboplatin (CBDCA) and prednisolone (PSL). The regimen, on days 1 to 3, included Ara-C, 400 mg/m2 i.v.; CBDCA; 250 mg/m2 i.v.; and PSL, 40 mg/m2. Since complete response was achieved in 10 patients (34.5%) and partial response in 9 (31.0%), the total response rate was 65.5%. The 50% survival duration of all patients after the initiation of this therapy was 8 months. The overall 5-year survival rate was 66.7% for those who achieved CR or PR with the Ara-C/CBDCA regimen and received high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Myelosuppression was the major toxicity. Total WBC counts under 1,000/microliter were seen in 67.7% of the courses, and thrombocytopenia under 50,000/microliter was seen in 96.8%. Ara-C/CBDCA has proven to be an effective salvage regimen for patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma. High-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation should be considered for salvageable patients.