Epigenetic therapy with valproic acid, an HDAC inhibitor, in refractory/relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin disease.

8056 Background: Valproic Acid (VPA) functions as a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. HDAC inhibition can cause growth arrest of cells, and can induce differentiation in various models of cancer cells in vivo and in vitro. VPA represents an interesting potential antineoplastic agent but very limited data are available on its activity. We decided to investigate VPA's activity in patients with refractory lymphoma in view of its minimal toxicity and low cost. Methods: The study was designed using the Simon two-stage approach for phase II clinical trials. First stage, 9 patients of the two major histologic categories were included. Categories were: 1) indolent and 2) aggressive NHL plus Hodgkin disease (HD). If no responses were observed in either category, the study was to be stopped. However, if one response were observed in any of the 2 categories, we would proceed to second stage. Fourteen previously treated pts with relapsed/refractory HD and NHL have been entered. They started VPA at 30 mg/kg/day. A...