Dose-Adjusted Etoposide, Prednisone, Vincristine, Cyclophosphamide, and Doxorubicin (EPOCH) With or Without Rituximab as First-Line Therapy for Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Abstract

Introduction: Dose-adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin (DA-EPOCH) was developed in an effort to overcome inadequate drug concentrations and compensate for increased drug clearance. The goal of the present study was to examine the risk factors and outcomes of patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (aNHL) treated with DA-EPOCH.

Patients and methods: We report the data from 136 patients with previously untreated aNHL who received infusional DA-EPOCH chemotherapy with or without rituximab from 2005 to 2013. Overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with death, progression, or relapse at 2 years.

Results: The overall response rate was 82%. The relapse-free survival rate at 1, 3, and 5 years was 68%, 63%, and 52% with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 0.59% to 0.85%, 0.54% to 0.70%, and 0.31% to 0.70%, respectively. Patients with T-cell aNHL had an increased risk of death, progression, or relapse (Odds Ratio, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.4-8.8) compared with those with B-cell aNHL. In multivariate analysis, current smoking, disease in the bone marrow, and the number of cycles completed were independent predictors of death and relapse.

Conclusion: Our data suggest that EPOCH with or without rituximab is active in both B- and T-cell aNHL. Toxicity did not significantly affect timing of treatment delivery or treatment outcomes. Dose adjustment by hematopoietic nadir similarly had no effect. The effect of smoking during chemotherapy should be evaluated further.

Keywords: Antineoplastic combined chemotherapy protocols; Dose-adjusted EPOCH protocol; Multivariate analysis; Patient outcomes; Smoking.

Figure 1

Overall survival from date of diagnosis by International Prognostic Index.