Summary
Fourteen patients with active chronic lymphocytic leukemia who had failed prior therapy were treated with progressive doses of weekly intravenous colchicine beginning at 2 mg and escalating as high as 7 mg in a single injection. Responses were seen in two of 14, with a lessening of adenopathy and splenomegaly. Toxicity was characterized by gastrointestinal intolerance in eight and thrombocytopenia in 12. There is activity of the drug in chronic lymphocytic leukemia but, as administered in this study, high dose therapy is not ideal and it may be more beneficial if the drug were given as low dose daily or weekly therapy.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dustin AP: Contribution à l'étude de l'action des poisons caroclassiques sur les tumeurs animales. Bull Acad Med Belg 14:487–502, 1934
Ludford RJ: Colchicine in the experimental chemotherapy of cancer. J Nat Cancer Inst 6:89–101, 1945
Isch-Wall P: Quatre cas de maladise de Hodgkin traites par la cochicine. Sang 23:689–693, 1952
Grollman A, Johnson RL, Regan WW: A clinical evaluation of colchicine in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease. Ann Intern Med 42:154–170, 1955
Torrioli M: Colchicine in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease. Antibiot Chemother 8:386–387, 1960
Thomson AER, Robinson MA: Cytocidal action of colchicine in vitro on lymphocytes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Lancet 2:868–870, 1967
Thomson AER, O'Connor TWE, Wetherly-Mein G: Killing and characterizing action of colchicine in vitro on lymphocytes of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Scand J Haemat 9:231, 1972
Schrek R, Messmore HL, Knospe WH, Stefani SS: A colchicine-sensitivity test for leukaemic lymphocytes. Scand J Haematol 16:357–364, 1976
Schrek R, Molnar Z, Stefani SS: Cytology and colchicine sensitivity of viable cells from lymph nodes with malignant lymphoma. Cancer 41:1845–1856, 1978
Schre R: Inhibition by inophore A23187 of the cytoxicity of vincristine, colchicine and x-rays to leukemic lymphocytes. Oncology 33:132–135, 1976
Anghileri LJ, Heidbreder M: The mechanism of accumulation of gallium by tumors. Oncology 34:74–77, 1977
Furcht LT, Scott RE: Effect of vinblastine sulfate, colchicine and lumicolchicine on membrane organization of normal and transformed cells. Exp Cell Res 96:271–282, 1975
Rai KR, Sawitsky A, Cronkite EP et al.: Clinical staging of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Blood 46:219–234, 1975
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weick, J.K., Livingston, R.B. & Van Slyck, E.J. Colchicine in refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Invest New Drugs 1, 335–338 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177418
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177418