Vncop-B (Etoposide, Mitoxantrone, Cyclophosphamide, Vincristine, Prednisolone, Bleomycin) Plus Rituximab Therapy In Elderly Patients With Aggressive B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Phase Ii Study Of Efficacy And Safety.

[Background and Objectives] CHOP (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, prednisolone) plus rituximab is a standard chemotherapy used to treat patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). However, among elderly patients, this regimen has not been completely satisfactory in its efficacy and safety because of agespecific comorbidity, increased toxicities of chemo-agents, and the more aggressive aspect of the lymphoma itself. Zinzani reported that a combination therapy including etoposide, mitoxantrone, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisolone, and bleomycin (VNCOP-B) was effective in elderly aggressive NHL patients (Blood 1999; 94:33–38). We conducted a phase II multicenter study in 8 collaborative institutions to determine if VNCOP-B plus rituximab was effective and safe to treat elderly patients with aggressive B-NHL. The primary endpoint was to detect overall survival (OS). The second endpoint was to detect the response rate (RR) and progression-free survival (PFS).