MTX-HOPE is a low-dose salvage chemotherapy for aged patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

As the aging society advances, the number of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients is increasing. Aged relapsed or refractory (r/r) NHL patients have limited treatment options. Therefore, a safe and effective regimen is urgently needed for these patients. Thus, we originally developed the MTX-HOPE (methotrexate, hydrocortisone, vincristine, sobuzoxane, and etoposide) regimen for r/r NHL and validated the safety and efficacy of this regimen in a clinical setting. We analyzed the data of 42 r/r NHL patients who received MTX-HOPE in this single-center retrospective cohort study. The median age of the patients was 81 years. The overall response rate was 45.3%. The median overall survival (OS) was 7 months, the one-year OS was 43.7%, and the two-year OS was 40.8%. Grade ≥3 neutropenia and renal dysfunction were observed in 47.6% and 11.9% of patients, respectively, and treatment-related death were not observed. Appropriate supportive care enabled these patients to continue the MTX-HOPE regimen. The proportion of patients who needed hospitalization during MTX-HOPE therapy was only 21.4%. Multivariable analyses with the Cox proportional hazards model revealed that both OS and progression-free survival (PFS) were significantly influenced by high Ki-67 expression in pathology, with response to the MTX-HOPE regimen after three to five cycles as a time-dependent covariate. Our results suggest that MTX-HOPE therapy can be an option for non-aggressive r/r NHL patients. To validate MTX-HOPE therapy, further prospective investigation is needed.