A phase II study of dexamethasone, ifosfamide, cisplatin and etoposide (DICE) as salvage chemotherapy for patients with relapsed and refractory lymphoma.

The 4-day combination of dexamethasone, ifosfamide, cisplatin, and etoposide (DICE) is a salvage regimen for lymphoma. We report a prospective phase II multi-center trial of a modified DICE regimen in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin (HL) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), constituting a single day of intravenous administration followed by 3 days of oral administration, aimed at reducing inpatient days without losing efficacy. Forty patients (median age 56, range 25 - 79) were included: 28 (70%) NHL, 9 (23%) HL and 3 (8%) CLL. Fifty-three per cent had received ⩾ 2 prior treatment regimens. International Prognostic Index (IPI) was ⩾ 2 in 75% of NHL patients. Patients aged ⩾ 55 and those with previous autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) started on a lower-dose regimen, with dose escalation possible in 2 patients. Overall response rate was 41%. Thirty-eight per cent of patients had stable disease. With a median of 3.1 years of follow-up, estimated progression-free ...