BCVPP chemotherapy for advanced Hodgkin's disease: evidence for greater duration of complete remission, greater survival, and less toxicity than with a MOPP regimen. Results of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group study

• Published in: Annals of internal medicine Vol. 101; no. 4; p. 447
• Main Authors: Bakemeier, R F, Anderson, J R, Costello, W, Rosner, G, Horton, J, Glick, J H, Hines, J D, Berard, C W, DeVita, Jr, V T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.1984
• Subjects: Adult; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Blood Cell Count; Carmustine - administration & dosage; Carmustine - adverse effects; Clinical Trials as Topic; Combined Modality Therapy; Cyclophosphamide - administration & dosage; Cyclophosphamide - adverse effects; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases - chemically induced; Hematologic Diseases - chemically induced; Hodgkin Disease - drug therapy; Hodgkin Disease - pathology; Humans; Male; Mechlorethamine - administration & dosage; Mechlorethamine - adverse effects; Neoplasm Staging; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - chemically induced; Prednisone - administration & dosage; Prednisone - adverse effects; Procarbazine - administration & dosage; Procarbazine - adverse effects; Random Allocation; Vinblastine - administration & dosage; Vinblastine - adverse effects; Vincristine - administration & dosage; Vincristine - adverse effects
• ISSN: 0003-4819
• DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-101-4-447

Two chemotherapy regimens for treatment of patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease, BCVPP (carmustine, cyclophosphamide, vinblastine, procarbazine, and prednisone) and MOPP (mechlorethamine hydrochloride, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone), were compared in a randomized prospective study. Two hundred ninety-three patients were evaluable in the induction phase of this study. The complete remission rate with BCVPP was 76% (112/147) and with MOPP, 73% (106/146) (p = 0.51). The duration of complete remissions for previously untreated patients given BCVPP was significantly longer than that for previously untreated patients given MOPP (p = 0.02). Although hematologic toxicities were similar, BCVPP caused less gastrointestinal (p = 0.0001) and neurologic toxicity (p = 0.01) than MOPP. Previously untreated patients achieving complete remission with BCVPP survived significantly longer than those receiving MOPP (p = 0.03). As primary induction chemotherapy for advanced Hodgkin's disease, BCVPP is an effective alternative to MOPP, having equal or greater therapeutic benefit with less toxicity.