clinical experience with procarbazine in Hodgkin's disease, reticulum cell sarcoma, and lymphosarcoma

Abstract

Seventy-two patients with Hodgkin's diseasereticulum cell sarcomalymphosarcomaand various other malignant neoplasms were treated with the methylhydrazine derivative procarbazine hydrochloride (Matulane, NSC-77213). Response to therapy could be evaluated in 50 patients. Favorable responses occurred in 22 of 33 evaluable patients with Hodgkin's disease2 of 5 patients with reticulum cell sarcomaand 2 of 5 patients with lymphosarcoma. All of the responders had previously shown resistance to at least 2 other antitumor agents. Toxic effects of therapy included leukopeniathrombocytopenianauseavomitingstomatitislethargyataxiaand alopecia. Median time to start of response was 21 days; median cumulative dose to start of response was 51.3 mg/kg. Responses lasted a median of 98 days (range: 34-322 days). Procarbazine is a useful agent in advanced lymphomas.