Original Article

Evaluating the Efficacy of Modified BeEAM (Bendamustine, Etoposide, Cytarabine, Melphalan) Regimen as Conditioning for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Relapsed or Refractory Lymphoma: An Experience from Two Centers of a Developing Country

Abstract

Background: High-dose chemotherapy followed by Autologous SCT (stem cell transplantation) is a treatment of choice for relapsed and refractory lymphoma. Due to cost, toxicity, and shortage of Carmustine, we decided to conduct a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Bendamustine instead of Carmustine in a previously used BEAM-like protocol.
Materials and Methods:102 patients (median age,37) with Hodgkin(n=54) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma(n=48) were recruited and transplanted in two centers. After stem cell harvesting, a modified BeEAM regimen was administered to all the patients. Overall survival and disease-free survival (DFS) at two years were calculated as the study's primary endpoints.
Results: Neutrophil and platelet recovery were observed after a median of 12 and 13 days, and all the patients were engrafted. Fever was observed in 25(24.5%) with only two documented infections. The only grade III toxicities were mucositis (20%) and nausea (15.6%). No transplant-related mortality (TRM) was observed after 100 days. After a median follow-up of 37(range 25-48) months, 68(66.6%) patients were in complete remission while 21 patients were in partial response, and 16 patients(15.6%) developed progressive disease, among which 13 (12.7%) had died. The OS at two years was (89 of 102, 87.3%), and the DFS rate was 68 of 102=66.7%.
Conclusion: Our study showed that modified BeEAM is a safe, effective, and feasible conditioning regimen for ASCT in lymphoma instead of the BEAM regimen.

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IssueVol 17, No 2 (2023) QRcode
SectionOriginal Article(s)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18502/ijhoscr.v17i2.12647
Keywords
Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Lymphoma BeEAM
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How to Cite
1.
Ramzi M, Vafaie E, Haghighinejad H, Imran H. Evaluating the Efficacy of Modified BeEAM (Bendamustine, Etoposide, Cytarabine, Melphalan) Regimen as Conditioning for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Relapsed or Refractory Lymphoma: An Experience from Two Centers of a Developing Country. Int J Hematol Oncol Stem Cell Res. 2023;17(2):106-113.