Twenty-eight patients with relapsed or refractory CD20+ NHL have been enrolled in an ongoing phase I trial of dose-escalated 90YZ followed by high-dose BEAM and autotransplant in which the 90YZ dose is patient-specific based on dosimetry. 90YZ doses are calculated to deliver cohort-defined radiation doses (100, 300, 500, ... cGy) to critical organs (liver, lung or kidney), with 3–6 patients per group. On D -22, rituximab (R) 250 mg/m2 is infused followed by the imaging dose of 111In Zevalin® (5 mCi). Imaging is performed immediately post-injection and at 4, 24, 72, and 144 hours; dosimetry is performed on D -15. On D -14, R 250 mg/m2 is administered followed immediately by 90YZ at the dose calculated to deliver the cohort-prescribed absorbed radiation dose to the critical organ. On D -6 through -1, patients receive high-dose BEAM. On D0, a minimum of 2.0 X 106 CD34+ cells/kg is infused and G-CSF 5 μg/kg SQ daily begun. The median age was 54 (range: 25–72) years. NHL histologic subtypes were as follows: mantle cell 5, diffuse aggressive 13, low grade 5, and transformed 5. Most had received 3 or more treatment regimens, including R. The toxicity profile was similar to that associated with high-dose BEAM and included a decrease in DLCO for most patients with one patient at the 500 cGy dose level experiencing a transient decline to below 50% of the predicted value corrected for hemoglobin. The most common grade III/IV toxicities were infection, fever, stomatitis, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hemorrhage, and edema. One patient experienced transient veno-occlusive disease at the 700 cGy dose level. Engraftment occurred at a median of 10 days (range:8–18) to granulocytes ≥ 500/μL, and 21 days (range:13–40days) to platelets ≥20,000/μL . With a median follow-up of one year, the 3 year overall and progression-free survivals are 60% and 50%, respectively.

90-Y Zevalin Dosing by Cohort (median; range)

Cohort (cGy)Total Dose (mCi)mCi/kg
100 (n=3) 5 (2–14) .06(.05–.12) 
300 (n=7) 22(14–57) .25(.18–.63) 
500 (n=6) 31(16–48) .40(.14–.63) 
700 (n=6) 37(26–55) .38(.27–.73) 
900 (n=3) 28(27–37) .32(.27–.44) 
1100 (n=3) 48(29–65) .57(.50–.75) 
Cohort (cGy)Total Dose (mCi)mCi/kg
100 (n=3) 5 (2–14) .06(.05–.12) 
300 (n=7) 22(14–57) .25(.18–.63) 
500 (n=6) 31(16–48) .40(.14–.63) 
700 (n=6) 37(26–55) .38(.27–.73) 
900 (n=3) 28(27–37) .32(.27–.44) 
1100 (n=3) 48(29–65) .57(.50–.75) 

The liver was the critical organ in nearly all cases. Patient-specific doses calculated to deliver a cohort-prescribed absorbed radiation dose to the critical organ were highly variable suggesting that dosing based on weight and not dosimetry is likely to result in a wide range of absorbed dose to critical organs. In the context of this study, 90YZ has been administered to eight patients at doses of .5 mCi/kg or greater. We conclude that with careful dosimetry, 90YZ doses higher than the conventional .4 mCi/kg may be safely combined with BEAM and autotransplant. Accrual continues at the 1300 cGy dose level.

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