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

Abstract

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. Pat..