Activity of Cladribine Combined with Etoposide in Heavily Pretreated Patients with Indolent Lymphoid Malignancies

We determined the effectiveness and toxicity of combined chemotherapy consisting of etoposide 100 mg/m 2 /day i.v. and cladribine (2-CdA) 0.12 mg/kg/day i.v. each for 5 days (EC regimen) in the treatment of refractory or relapsed low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The cycles were repeated every 28 days, reaching a maximum of six courses. Twenty patients entered the study. All patients had received three or more cycles of chemotherapy before the EC regimen (median 8, range 3–19). Thirteen patients received 2-CdA before the EC regimen. Seven out of 20 patients (35%) responded, including one complete response. Median overall survival time of responding patients was 22 months (range 3–30). Myelosuppression and infections were the major toxicity of the EC regimen.