Campath-1H and EPOCH to Treat Non-Hodgkin's T- and NK-Cell Lymphomas

Background:

The paradigm of combining therapeutic agents with non-overlapping toxicities for the treatment of malignancy produces clinical remissions and cures in a number of tumor types.

A new class of agents, humanized and chimerized monoclonal antibodies, typically have little or no hematopoietic toxicity and can be readily combined with full doses of cytotoxic chemotherapy. It has become clear that in certain lymphomas and breast cancers, the combination of monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy improves response rate and the quality of the response compared with that achieved by treatment with either agent alone.

The clinical outcome for patients with T-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma is significantly inferior to the outcome of patients with B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. In most reports less than 20% of patients with T cell lymphoid malignancies remain free of disease at 5 years.

Objective:

Determine the toxicity and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of Alemtuzumab and EPOCH chemotherapy in untreated cluster of differentiation 52 (CD52)-expressing T and natural killer (NK) lymphoid malignancies

Eligibility:

• CD52-expressing lymphoid malignancy.
• Patients with chemotherapy naive aggressive T & NK lymphomas. Patients with alk-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma and patients with T cell precursor disease are not eligible.
• Age greater than or equal to 17 years.
• Adequate organ function, unless impairment due to respective organ involvement by tumor.
• No active symptomatic ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction or congestive heart. failure within the past year.
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative.
• Not pregnant or nursing.

Design:

Three dose levels of Alemtuzumab will be evaluated to determine the toxicity profile and in a preliminary fashion the antitumor activity of the combination with Dose-Adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (EPOCH).

Three dose levels of Alemtuzumab will be explored, in cohorts of three to six patients each. Patients will receive either 30, 60, or 90 mg of Alemtuzumab on day 1 of therapy, followed by dose-adjusted EPOCH chemotherapy days 1-5.

• ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Cluster of differentiation 52 (CD52)-expressing lymphoid malignancy, confirmed by pathology or flow cytometry staff of the Hematopathology Section, Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute (NCI). Patients with T & natural killer (NK) cell malignancy without accessible tissue for flow cytometry analysis may be treated on this study.

Patients with chemotherapy naive aggressive T & NK lymphomas, including but not limited to peripheral T cell lymphoma (not otherwise specified (nos)), gamma-delta hepatosplenic T cell lymphoma, subcutaneous panniculitis-like T cell, NK-T cell lymphoma confirmed by pathology or flow cytometry staff of the Hematopathology Section, Laboratory of Pathology, NCI. Patients with alk-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma and patients with T cell precursor disease are not eligible.

Age greater than or equal to 17 years.

Laboratory tests: Creatinine less than or equal to 1.5 mg/dL or creatinine clearance greater than or equal to 60 ml/min; bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dl unless due to Gilbert's, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) less than or equal to 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (AST and ALT is less than or equal to 6 times ULN for patients on hyperalimentation for whom these abnormalities are felt to be due to the hyperalimentation) and; absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is greater than or equal to 1000/mm(3), platelet greater than or equal to 75,000/mm(3); unless impairment due to respective organ involvement by tumor.

No active symptomatic ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure within the past year.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative, because of the unknown effects of combined therapy with chemotherapy and an immunosuppressive agent on HIV progression.

Signed informed consent.

Willing to use contraception.

Not pregnant or nursing, because of the unknown effects of Alemtuzumab on the developing fetus and infant.

No serious underlying medical condition or infection that would contraindicate treatment. Patients with central nervous system (CNS) involvement are eligible for treatment on this study.