Bryostatin 1 Plus Vincristine in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Refractory HIV-Related Lymphoma

Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of bryostatin 1 plus vincristine in treating patients who have recurrent or refractory lymphoma. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Bryostatin 1 may help vincristine kill more cancer cells by making them more sensitive to the drug

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the maximum tolerated dose of bryostatin 1 when administered with vincristine in patients with recurrent or refractory HIV-related B-cell lymphoma. II. Determine the toxicity profile of this regimen in these patients. III. Determine the objective response and survival of these patients treated with this regimen. IV. Determine the immunomodulatory effects of this regimen on interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-2 receptor, and IL-6 cytokine levels in these patients. V. Determine the effect of this regimen on CD4+ lymphocyte count and HIV load in these patients. VI. Determine the effect of this regimen on the human herpes virus-8 load in these patients with body cavity-based lymphoma. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter, dose-escalation study of bryostatin 1. Patients receive bryostatin 1 IV continuously on days 1 and 15 and vincristine IV over 5 minutes on days 2 and 16. Treatment continues every 4 weeks for a minimum of 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of bryostatin 1 until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity.