Biweekly dose-dense gemcitabine-oxaliplatin and dexamethasone for relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A multicenter, single-arm, phase II trial

Gemcitabine, oxaliplatin and dexamethasone (GemDOx) as salvage therapy for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and peripheral T-cell lymphoma

Background Outcomes of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) remain poor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine, oxaliplatin and dexamethasone (GemDOx) with or without rituximab as salvage therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL and PTCL.

Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL and PTCL receiving GemDOx as salvage therapy between Jul 1, 2011, and Aug 31, 2017.

Results: Thirty-three (57.9%) patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL and 24 (42.1%) with PTCL were included in this study. The median age was 57 years (inter-quartile range 46-67). The overall response rate (ORR) in DLBCL was 48.5% with 27.3% of complete remission (CR), and the 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and 2-year overall survival (OS) was 21% and 44%. In patients with PTCL, ORR was 50.0% with CR rate of 29.2%; the 2-year PFS and 2-year OS was 28% and 49%, respectively. Common grade 3-4 hematological adverse events were thrombocytopenia (26.3%), anemia (15.7%) and neutropenia (15.7%).

Conclusion: With acceptable efficacy and good tolerability, GemDOx might be a new therapeutic option for relapsed or refractory DLBCL and PTCL.