Efficacy of DICE (dexamethasone, etoposide, ifosfamide, and cisplatin) regimen on recurrent and refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Objective: There is no standard salvage regimen for patients with recurrent and refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) so far. This study was to investigate the efficacy of DICE (dexamethasone, isofosfamide, cisplatin, and etoposide) regimen on recurrent and refractory NHL, and observe the adverse events.

Methods: Clinical records of 80 patients with recurrent and refractory NHL, who failed to get remission from CHOP regimen (cyclophosfamide, vincristine, and donaurubicin) and accepted DICE as a salvage regimen for 6 cycles, were reviewed. Of the 80 patients, 25 were T-cell original, and the other 55 were B-cell original. The efficacy of DICE regimen and adverse events were evaluated.

Results: The total response rate (RR) of these 80 patients was 56.3%. The complete remission (CR) rate was 27.5%.The total response rate was 48.0% for T-cell NHL and 60.0% for B-cell NHL. The CR rate was 16.0% for T-cell NHL and 32.7% for B-cell NHL. Myelosuppression, nausea, vomit, alopecia, and electrolytes disorder were major adverse events, and could be cured after treatment. No chemotherapy-related death occurred.

Conclusions: DICE regimen is effective in treating recurrent and refractory NHL.