Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research (2000) 33: 791-798 Amifostine and high-dose cyclophosphamide for NHL 791 ISSN 0100-879X Amifostine (WR-2721), a cytoprotective agent during high-dose cyclophosphamide treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas: a phase II study C.A. De Souza1, G. Santini2, 1Centro de Hematologia e Hemoterapia, Unidade de Transplante de Medula, G. Marino2, S. Nati2, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brasil A.M. Congiu2, A.C. Vigorito1 2Department of Hematology, San Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy and E. Damasio2 Abstract Correspondence Clinical trials indicate that amifostine may confer protection on Key words C.A. De Souza various normal tissues without attenuating anti-tumor response. When · Amifostine Centro de Hematologia e administered prior to chemotherapy or radiotherapy, it may provide a · Cytoprotection Hemoterapia broad spectrum of cytoprotection including against alkylating drugs. · Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma Unidade de Transplante de Medula The mechanism of protection resides in the metabolism at normal · High-dose cyclophosphamide UNICAMP · tissue site by membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase. Toxicity of this Peripheral blood progenitor 13083-080 Campinas, SP cell mobilization Brasil drug is moderate with hypotension, nausea and vomiting, and hypo- Fax: +55-19-788-8750 calcemia being observed. We report a phase II study using amifostine E-mail:
[email protected] as a protective drug against high-dose cyclophosphamide (HDCY) (7 g/m2), used to mobilize peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) and Publication supported by FAPESP. to reduce tumor burden. We enrolled 29 patients, 22 (75.9%) affected by aggressive and 7 (24.1%) by indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), who were submitted to 58 infusions of amifostine and com- Received August 10, 1999 pared them with a historical group (33 patients) affected by aggressive Accepted March 9, 2000 NHL and treated with VACOP-B followed by HDCY.