Final Results of a Phase II Danish Trial Testing Low Dose Total Body Irradiation Following Six Bi-Weekly RCHOP-14 Plus 2 Extra Rituximab in Elderly High risk Patients with Aggressive CD20+ Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL).

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 1013-1013
Author(s):  
Akmal Safwat ◽  
Lena Specht ◽  
Flemming Hansen ◽  
Mads Hansen ◽  
Jesper Jurlander ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: To further improve the results achieved by adding Rituximab (R) and shortening chemotherapy interval in elderly patients, an effective but relatively non-toxic treatment modality is needed. We tested therefore the addition of low dose total body irradiation (LTBI) of 1,6 Gy given after chemo-immunotherapy. Methods: A multicenter, phase II trial including patients >60 yrs with stage II-IV, CD20-positive DLBCL was performed between 2003 and 2007. Patients received 6x R-CHOP-14 + 2x R alone followed by LTBI given as 2 courses of 4 daily fractions of 0,2 Gy separated by 2 weeks of rest. Radiotherapy to sites of bulky (>7.5 cm) disease was given according to the local guidelines of the participating centres. Results: Forty two patients were included. Observation time ranged from 3 to 47 months with median follow up of 24 months. The median age was 67 years; 62% had stage III or IV; 48% had B symptoms and 36% had bulky (> 7.5 cm) disease; 50% had ECOG score ≥ 1; 76% had elevated LDH and 57% had IPI of >2. Twenty four patients (57%) achieved a CR or CRu at the end of chemotherapy, while 12 (28.5%) were in PR. One of the 12 PR patients refused LTBI. Of the remaining 11 PR patients who received LTBI, 8 (82%) achieved CR in the first follow up after LTBI while the remaining 3 patients had initially stable disease but progressed shortly after. One patient (2%) progressed under chemotherapy while seven patients (17%) relapsed after achieving CR. Six of these refractory/relapsed cases presented with IPI ≥ 3. The 3-yr event-free and progression-free survival values were 64.8% (SE: 8.7%) and 73.5% (SE: 8.9%), respectively, while the 3-yr overall survival was 85.4% (SE: 5.5%). There were 3 toxic deaths (7.1%) due to sepsis occurring during chemotherapy. Ninteen of 235 cycles of CHOP (8%) were given at reduced dose levels in 3 patients (7%), while 3 cycles (1.3%) were delayed but given at 100% dose level. None of the 305 injections of Rituximab were dose reduced. Only one of 31 patients (3%) got his second LTBI cycle at 75% of the planned dose because of thrombocytopenia. CTC Gr 3–4 neutropenia occurred following 50 of 250 R-CHOP-14 cycles (20%). CTC Gr. 3–4 thrombocytopenia was seen in 8 pts (22%) following LTBI. Conclusions: Despite the high risk profile of the patient cohort enrolled in this trial, the 3-yr outcome values match the results of the best performing recent phase III clinical trials designed for elderly patients with DLBCL. Adding LTBI to 6 cycles of R-CHOP-14 was well tolerated and effective in converting the majority of PRs into CRs. Therefore, it may provide survival benefit and should be tested in a randomised setting.

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 17523-17523
Author(s):  
A. Safwat ◽  
L. Specht ◽  
F. Hansen ◽  
M. Hansen ◽  
A. Boesen ◽  
...  

17523 Background: Results from the RICOVER-60 trial indicated a better outcome in elderly DLBCL patients (pts) by adding rituximab (R) to CHOP and shortening cycle intervals 14 days. We tested the addition of low dose total body irradiation (LTBI) to what proved to be the best performing arm of the RICOVER-60 trial (6xR-CHOP-14 + 2xR). Methods: A phase II trial including pts>60 yrs with stage II-IV, CD20-positive DLBCL was started in 2003 and is still ongoing. Pts received 6x R-CHOP-14 and 2 x R alone followed by LTBI given as 2 courses of 4 daily fractions of 0,2 Gy separated by 2 weeks of rest. Subpopulations of blood lymphocytes, monoctytes and dendritic cells were identified by multi-color flowcytometry during treatment. Results: 24 patients finished their treatment and were found to be predominantly high risk. Median age was 68 years; 50% had ≥ 1 extranodal lesion; 71% had stage III or IV; 63% had B symptoms; 58% had ECOG score ≥ 1; 75% had elevated LDH and 58% had IPI of >2. There were 3 toxic deaths (12.5%) due to sepsis occurring after 1st, 3rd and 5th chemotherapy cycle, respectively. One patient got off study because of disease progression. 14 pts achieved a CR or CRu at the end of chemotherapy, while 6 were in PR. After LTBI, all 6 PR pts converted to CR. 3 pts relapsed within 7 months after achieving CR. All treatment failures occurred in patients with IPI 3&4. 94%, 100% and 98% of the administered R-CHOP-14, Rituximab and LTBI cycles respectively were given in full dose and on time. CTC Gr 3–4 neutropenia occurred following 22 of 135 R-CHOP-14 cycles (16%). CTC Gr. 3–4 thrombocytopenia was seen in 4 pts following the last LTBI cycle (16%). Preliminary data from multi-color flowcytometry of the first seven pts, showed depletion of circulating B-cells, but in some pts, a relative increase in the frequency of circulating dendritic cells during chemotherapy, which was enhanced by LTBI. Conclusion: In high-risk elderly DLBCL pts, R-CHOP-14 is associated with potential fatal infections. LTBI adds relatively little extra toxicities in the form of thrombocytopenia and may have the potential of converting PR patients to CR. Testing lymphocytic subpopulations in peripheral blood may help elucidating the immunomodulatory mechanisms of LTBI. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 1296-1296
Author(s):  
Akmal Safwat ◽  
Lena Specht ◽  
Flemming Hansen ◽  
Mads Hansen ◽  
Jesper Jurlander ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The addition of rituximab (R) to bi-weekly CHOP (CHOP-14) in the RICOVER-60 trial resulted in improved time to treatment failure in 828 elderly (61–80 years) DLBCL patients (Blood106:9a, 2005). We investigated the addition of LTBI in a dose of 1,6 Gy given as adjuvant therapy in high-risk elderly patients with DLBCL treated according to the best performing arm of the RICOVER-60 trial (R-CHOP-14 x 6 + 2xR). Methods: A phase II trial including pts >60 yrs with stage II-IV, CD20-positive DLBCL was performed between 2003 and 2007. Pts received 6x R-CHOP-14 and 2 x R alone followed by LTBI given as 2 courses of 4 daily fractions of 0,2 Gy separated by 2 weeks of rest. Results: We report the results of the first 36 patients. The median age was 69 years; 56% had ≥ 1 extranodal lesion; 67% had stage III or IV; 48% had B symptoms and 37% had Bulky (> 7.5 cm) disease; 54% had ECOG score ≥ 1; 75% had elevated LDH and 63% had IPI of >2, while 73% stained positive for BCL2 in pre-therapeutic histological samples. One patient got off study because of the discovery of breast cancer and one patient refused to get LTBI. Twenty one pts achieved a CR or CRu at the end of chemotherapy (58%), 10 (27%) were in PR while only one patient progressed under chemotherapy. All 10 PR pts achieved CR in the first follow up after LTBI. Four pts relapsed within 12 months after achieving CR. All treatment failures occurred in patients with IPI 3&4. Of the administered R-CHOP-14, Rituximab and LTBI cycles, 95%, 100% and 96%, respectively, were given in full dose and on time. CTC Gr 3–4 neutropenia occurred following 50 of 250 R-CHOP-14 cycles (20%). There were 3 toxic deaths (7.8%) due to sepsis occurring during chemotherapy. CTC Gr. 3–4 thrombocytopenia was seen in 8 pts following the last LTBI cycle (22%) and could be prolonged. The 2-Y Overall survival (OS) was found to be 79% (SE ± 8%) while the 2-Y disease free survival (DFS) was 74% (SE ± 10%). Conclusion: In a selected DLBCL group of elderly patients with high-risk prognostic profile, R-CHOP-14 followed by LTBI, although sometimes associated with severe infections and thrombocytopenia, seems to achieve high response rates and provide correspondingly high OS and DFS values.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 1793-1793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Hamlin ◽  
Maria Alma Rodriguez ◽  
Ariela Noy ◽  
Carol S. Portlock ◽  
David Straus ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 1793 Introduction: Elderly patients (pts) with high risk DLBCL are one of the fastest growing demographics of pts, but advances over RCHOP21 have not been realized. These pts are often under-represented in clinical trial secondary to comorbidity, ageism, and eligibility requirements. By the age adjusted international prognostic index (aaIPI), pts >60 years (yrs) with high-intermediate (HI) and high (H) risk disease had 5 yr survival (OS) rates of 37% and 21%. Even in the RCHOP era, high risk elderly patients have event-free-survival of roughly 50%. We report the mature data from a phase II study investigating sequential RCHOP followed by yttrium-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan radioimmunotherapy (RIT) in an effort to improve these results. Methods: Untreated ASCT-ineligible pts >60 yrs, with aaIPI HI and H risk DLBCL were eligible for study. Pts received RCHOP21 × 6 cycles at standard doses with prophylactic GCSF and darbepoetin alfa. Pts with responding (CR/PR) or stable disease post RCHOP received RIT, given 6–9 weeks post chemotherapy at 0.4 mCi/kg for platelets (plt) ≥150K and 0.3 mCi/kg for plt 100–149K. Weekly CBCs were performed for 12–13 weeks or until count resolution. Rituximab levels were assessed pre-RIT in a subset of pts. Primary end-points were PFS and OS, with intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis performed for all patients. Statistics anticipated 2/3 of pts (n=43) receiving RIT, with power to demonstrate a 20% improvement in PFS/OS at 2 yrs. Results: 65 pts were consented, with 2 pts having progression prior to a single cycle on protocol, leaving 63 evaluable pts. The median age was 75 (62-86), median KPS 70% (50-100%), Stage III/IV 23/74%, LDH>ULN 91%, ENS>1=45%, BM positive=11%; aaIPI HI/H 45%/55%. Moderate or greater comorbidity was present in 86% of pts (n=65) by NIA/NCI scale. 86% of pts completed RCHOP, with overall response rate (ORR) of 83% (CR/Cru 75%, PR 8%) (Cheson 1999). Fifty pts by ITT were eligible for RIT following RCHOP chemotherapy, with 44 pts ultimately treated. Reasons for discrepancy included low bone marrow cellularity (2pt), AFIB/CHF post day 0 (1 pt), abnormal baseline FISH/cytogenetics (2 pts), withdrawal of consent (1pt). Rituximab levels in 30 pts are available pre-RIT: mean 112 mcg/ml (range 41–196) and did not correlate with outcome. The RIT dose was 0.4 mCi/kg in 38 patients and 0.3 mCi/kg in 6 patients. No patient had altered biodistribution on imaging. RIT was generally well tolerated with expected hematologic nadirs at weeks 6–7. Grade 3/4 non-heme toxicity during RIT included neutropenic fever (2), transient EF decline >20% (1), hip fracture (1), anthracycline induced cardiomyopathy (grade 5), suspected CNS bleed (grade 5). Response post RIT (n=44) was CR/CRu 86%, PR 2%. Response improvement (PR->CR or CRu->CR) occurred in 7 pts (16%). Median followup for surviving pts is 42 months, with median OS and PFS not reached (0.5-74.4). KM estimates of OS and PFS at 42 months by ITT: 64% and 62% respectively. OS and PFS at 42 months for RIT treated pts (n=44): 83.5% and 74.5%. There have been only two relapse >12 months after RIT. The aaIPI (HI vs H) predicted outcomes: OS 75% vs. 49% (p=.008), PFS 68% vs. 45% (p=.01). Conclusion: Sequential RCHOP21 × 6 cycles followed by RIT in an elderly, high comorbidity, high risk DLBCL cohort is associated with very encouraging outcomes by ITT and specifically in the RIT treated pts with long term follow-up. Therapy was well tolerated in this age group and given lack of late relapses, one may hypothesize RIT is addressing minimal residual disease typically associated with recurrence. Outcome is very favorable when compared to historical controls. A prospective Phase III study is needed to confirm these results. Disclosures: Hamlin: Genentech: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Biogen Idec: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Spectrum: Consultancy, Research Funding; CTI: Consultancy, Research Funding. Off Label Use: Y-90 ibritumumab tiuxetan is not approved for use in DLBCL; it is FDA approved for NHL/indolent lymphoma. Rodriguez:CTI: Research Funding. Noy:Spectrum: Consultancy. McLaughlin:Spectrum: Consultancy. Pandit Tasker:CTI: Research Funding; Spectrum: Research Funding. Zelenetz:GSK: Consultancy; CTI: advisory board.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 397-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Pagel ◽  
Frederick R. Appelbaum ◽  
Brenda M. Sandmaier ◽  
Joseph G. Rajendran ◽  
Ted Gooley ◽  
...  

Abstract The poor survival of elderly patients with advanced AML or high-risk MDS following conventional chemotherapy, as well as their poor tolerance for high-dose regimens used in conventional myeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) demands innovative therapeutic approaches. Recent success achieving stable donor chimerism following infusion of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) after reduced intensity (non-myeloablative) conditioning regimens affords an opportunity to safely induce a graft-vs-leukemia (GVL) effect with minimal acute morbidity. GVL effects, however, appear to be most potent in patients with low tumor burdens at the time of transplantation. We have therefore conducted a Phase I clinical trial of targeted hematopoietic irradiation delivered by an 131I-labeled anti-CD45 antibody (BC8) to determine the feasibility, safety and efficacy of this approach toward reducing the burden of disease before an established non-myeloablative regimen. In this dose escalation study designed to estimate the maximum tolerated dose of 131I-BC8 antibody that can be combined with fludarabine (FLU) and low dose total body irradiation (TBI), 33 patients over 50 years of age with advanced AML or high-risk MDS (> 5% blasts) were treated with 246 to 932 mCi 131I delivering an estimated 5.2 to 45.9 (mean 27.5) Gy to bone marrow, 17.3 to 155 (mean 81.2) Gy to spleen, and 12–24 Gy to the liver (dose-limiting organ). Patients then received FLU (30 mg/m2 daily for 3 days), 2 Gy TBI, and HLA-matched related (n = 10) or unrelated (n = 23) PBSC grafts with graft-vs-host disease prophylaxis provided by cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil. The median age of patients was 61 (50–71) years. Twenty-four patients had AML, with 6 (13%) patients in second or third complete remission, 2 (4%) with primary refractory disease, and 16 (35%) in relapse. Nine (20%) patients had MDS with >5% blasts. Treatment with the 131I-BC8 Ab/FLU/TBI regimen produced a remission in all patients, and all had 100% donor CD3+ and CD33+ cell engraftment by day 28 post-transplant. The absolute neutrophil count surpassed 500/uL at a median of 14 (range, 10–19) days, and the self-sustained platelet count surpassed 20,000/uL at a median of 17 days (range, 15–43). Eighteen patients (55%) are surviving disease-free 2 to 16 months (median 9.5 months) post-transplant. In 9 (27%) patients, the disease relapsed 3 to 38 months after HCT. The day-100 non-relapse mortality was 12%. This study demonstrates that at least an average of 27 Gy of targeted radiotherapy can be delivered to bone marrow and an average of 81 Gy to the spleen, in addition to a standard reduced intensity transplant regimen, without a marked increase in day 100 mortality. Whether this approach will reduce post-transplant relapse rates for older patients with high-risk AML/MDS remains to be determined.


Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 5574-5574
Author(s):  
Abdul Aziz Siddiqui ◽  
Kazi Najamus-saqib Khan ◽  
Arafat Ali Farooqui ◽  
Muhammad Saad Farooqi ◽  
Muhammad Junaid Tariq ◽  
...  

Introduction: Patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) tend to have comorbidities and/or advanced age that make this subset of patients difficult to manage with current drug regimens. Methods: A comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Embase, Clinicaltrials.gov and Web of Science was performed from inception and completed on 07/17/2019. Studies focusing on efficacy and tolerability of 3-drug regimens in patients with NDMM were included for the review. Results: Out of 3579 studies, a total of 10 (08 phase II and 03 phase III) clinical trials in last ten years (2010-2019) using 3-drug regimens in NDMM elderly pts (893M/807F) ineligible for ASCT (determined by investigators) were selected. A total of 1703/1740 NDMM pts were evaluated. Proteasome inhibitors (PIs) such as carfilzomib (C), bortezomib (V) and ixazomib (I) showed promising results in elderly transplant-ineligible NDMM pts. CLARION trial (phase III, n=955) compared two PIs (C and V) with melphalan (M) and prednisone. There was no statistically significant difference in progression-free survival (PFS) between two groups (median: 22.3 vs 22.1 months; HR: 0.91; 95% CI, 0.75-1.10, p = 0.159) as well as overall survival (OS) (HR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.82-1.43). Difference in the least square means of the HR-QoL (Health related- quality of life) was 4.99 (p<.0001) favoring C-group. M may not be an ideal drug to combine with carfilzomib in this setting given more AEs.(Facon et al 2019). V as 3-drug regimen in combination with lenalidomide (L) in 242 pts achieved statistically significant prolonged PFS (median 43 mo) and OS (median 75 mo) with great efficacy and acceptable risk-benefit profile. (Durie et al 2017; phase III). Multinational phase II trial (n=70) by Dimopoulos et al (2019) evaluated I, with different fixed doses of cyclophosphamide (Cy). Median duration was 19 cycles, indicating the long-term tolerability of regimen. With favorable toxicity profile and maintained QoL scores, trial concluded that this therapy is tolerable in elderly transplant-ineligible NDMM pts. Tuchman et al (2017) in phase II trial (n=14) investigated (V-Cy-d) and achieved ORR of 64%, with ≥VGPR of 57%. Low dose V showed great efficacy with M yielding ORR of 86% and VGPR or better of 49% in phase II trial (n=101) that also evaluated Cy as 3-drug combination but results were more productive with M with longer PFS and OS which reduced when impact of frailty was examined on outcomes. Since toxicity was higher with M, trial suggested that 2-drug combination should be preferred in elderly frail patients. (Larocca et al 2015). Efficacy was quite promising when Bringhen et al (2014) trialed C with Cy-d; 87% OS and 76% PFS at 1 y in phase II trial (n=58) with much favorable safety profile. Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) such as elotuzumab (E) and pembrolizumab (Pe) are also tested in elderly. First study conducted on NDMM pts using humanized mAb; E, in phase II trial (n=40) by Takezako et al (2017) attained primary endpoint of the study (ORR) of (88%) and VGPR or better of 45% in Japanese pts with tolerable toxicities in elderly. No subjects on this study experienced severe peripheral neuropathy. KEYNOTE-185; a phase III multinational trial by Usmani et al (2019) evaluated Pe with Ld in 151 pts. FDA halted this study due to unfavorable benefit-risk profile; 19 deaths, 6 due to disease progression (PD), and 13 due to treatment-related AEs. Median PFS and median OS were not reached in either group. Immunomodulators such as L achieved one of the longest PFS reported in a trial of transplant ineligible patients (35 mo) by using LVd regimen in phase II multicenter trial (n=50). (O'Donnell et al 2018) Alkylating agents like bendamustine (ben) and M have been tested in different novel regimens. Decreasing intensity and increasing duration of ben resulted in better outcomes in phase II trial (n=59) by Berdeja et al (2016) and can be given as first line treatment. Ben yielded great results with low dose dexa as compared to high dose achieving 92% ORR. Original regimen was effective but relatively more toxic. Incidence of herpes and neuropathy decreased dramatically with the treatment modifications. Conclusion: Three-drug regimens having PIs, mABs, immunomodulators and alkylating agents have shown desirable results in NDMM transplant (ASCT)-ineligible elderly patients and are likely the emerging standard of care for NDMM. Disclosures Anwer: In-Cyte: Speakers Bureau; Seattle Genetics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.


2016 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva González-Barca ◽  
Miguel A. Canales ◽  
Antonio Salar ◽  
Secundino Ferrer ◽  
Eva Domingo-Domenech ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Rituximab-cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) every 14 days seems to achieve better outcomes than R-CHOP every 21 days in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Currently, the standard regimen is R-CHOP every 21 days. Methods: This is a phase II clinical trial of treatment with 6 cycles of R-CHOP-14 with pegfilgrastim support in 2 populations of previously untreated DLBCL patients aged ≥65 years (n = 73) or <65 years (n = 51) with low-risk International Prognostic Index scores (0-2). Results: With a median follow-up of 63.7 months, the 5-year event-free survival rate was 53.8% in patients aged ≥65 years and 71.0% in patients aged <65 years. The 5-year overall survival rate was 71.4 and 89.8%, respectively. The complete remission rate was 69.9% for older and 80.4% for younger patients. The median relative dose intensity of cytotoxic drugs was 143.2% in the elderly and 149.1% in the young patients. Febrile neutropenia was the most common grade 3-4 adverse event, being higher in elderly patients (21.3 vs. 9.3%). Eight deaths (7 in elderly patients) were considered treatment related. Conclusion: In conclusion, the R-CHOP-14 regimen is feasible and very active, though it is more toxic in elderly patients mainly due to an increased incidence of infections. New strategies, such as new monoclonal antibodies or new targeted therapies, are needed to improve the outcomes of DLBCL patients.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 3586-3586
Author(s):  
Kazuyoshi Ishii ◽  
Masahiro Manabe ◽  
Toshiya Yagi ◽  
Hirofumi Teshima ◽  
Yasuaki Nagare ◽  
...  

Abstract [Background and Objectives] CHOP (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, prednisolone) plus rituximab is a standard chemotherapy used to treat patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). However, among elderly patients, this regimen has not been completely satisfactory in its efficacy and safety because of agespecific comorbidity, increased toxicities of chemo-agents, and the more aggressive aspect of the lymphoma itself. Zinzani reported that a combination therapy including etoposide, mitoxantrone, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisolone, and bleomycin (VNCOP-B) was effective in elderly aggressive NHL patients (Blood1999;94:33–38). We conducted a phase II multicenter study in 8 collaborative institutions to determine if VNCOP-B plus rituximab was effective and safe to treat elderly patients with aggressive B-NHL. The primary endpoint was to detect overall survival (OS). The second endpoint was to detect the response rate (RR) and progression-free survival (PFS). [Patients and Treatment] Eligible patients were those aged over 60 years, with aggressive B-NHL documented as CD20 surface antigen positive, performance status (PS) 0 to 2, clinical stage over II or I with a bulky disease, measurable lesions, no prior chemotherapy nor radiation, no severe complications, no major organ dysfunction, no other active cancer, not a HBV carrier, no central nervous system involvement with lymphoma, and who gave the required written informed consent. VNCOP-B plus rituximab was administered as an induction therapy. This protocol was completed in 8 weeks and consisted of weekly doses of chemotherapy combined with rituximab every two weeks. During the 8 weeks of therapy, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was administered on a prophylactic base. Rituximab was administered weekly four times a month as a sequential therapy, following one month after the end of the induction therapy. [Results] Between September 2004 and December 2007, 23 patients, median age 73 years, 50.0% classified as high-intermediate/high risk on the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (IPI), entered this trial and 21 were evaluated for feasibility, toxicity, and efficacy. Twenty-two patients (95.2%) were diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and one (4.8%) with mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma. The nineteen patients (90.5%) completed the induction therapy and all these then received a sequential rituximab therapy. Complete remission rate was 90.5%, with a 100% overall RR at the end of induction therapy; OS rate at 3 years was 76.4% (median follow-up 744days); with an 82.6% 3-year PFS rate (median follow-up 744days). Average Relative dose intensity (RDI) in MIT was 0.61, no significant difference in survival was found regarding RDI. Although IgG level decreased during the induction therapy, it recovered to the prior level after sequential rituximab (IgG means±standard error: pre-treatment 1355.2±146.4mg/dl, post-induction therapy 785.3±107.0mg/dl, post-sequential rituximab 1010.4±60.2mg/dl). According to the IPI, there was a trend suggesting a lower probability of OS and PFS in high/high-intermediate risk than in low/low-intermediate risk cases (3-year OS: 67.5% versus 100.0%, P=0.51; 3-year PFS: 66.7% versus 100.0%, P NA). The most common grade 3/4 toxicities were hematologic, including neutropenia in 75.0% of the 21 patients despite prophylactic administration of G-CSF, febrile neutropenia in 30.0%, and thrombocytopenia in 10.0%, respectively. Regarding non-hematologic grade 3/4 toxicities, hepatitis occurred in one patient (5.0%) from HCV reactivation, intestinal perforation involving the lymphoma in one patient (5.0%). There was no treatment-related mortality. We had conducted a phase II study of VNCOP-B therapy in 16 elderly patients with aggressive B-NHL (Gan To Kagaku Ryoho2005;32:39–44, in Japanese). Against this historical comparison, the present protocol seemed better in PFS than that without rituximab (3-year PFS: 82.6% versus 56.0%, P=0.11), although OS was almost the same (3-year OS: 76.4% versus 73.4%, P=0.22). [Conclusion] Although our enrolled patients were quite elderly with a median age of 73 years, and half of them had a poor prognosis index, VNCOP-B combined with rituximab was well tolerated and showed promise.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 1606-1606
Author(s):  
Annalisa Chiappella ◽  
Alessia Castellino ◽  
Maria Giuseppina Cabras ◽  
Anna Marina Liberati ◽  
Andrea Evangelista ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 1606 Introduction. Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) patients at high-risk (age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (aa-IPI) 2–3), had a dismal prognosis if treated with conventional chemotherapy. The introduction of intensive regimens and the addition of monoclonal antibody anti-CD20, improved prognosis, but some issues remain unresolved such as: the risk of central nervous system (CNS) relapses and the incidence of late toxicities. We analyzed a series of young DLBCL patients at high-risk consecutively treated in four prospective trials by the Italian Lymphoma Foundation (FIL) with the aim to assess the risk of CNS relapses and late toxicities in this series of patients with a prolonged follow-up Methods. From 1986 to 2006, 278 patients with DLBCL with aa-IPI 2–3 at diagnosis, were enrolled in four consecutive trials previously reported. Thirty-two into a phase II study, treated with 12 weekly infusion of MACOP-B; 39 into a phase II trial with eight weekly MACOP-B infusions followed by high-dose cytarabine, mitoxantrone and dexamethasone (MAD) plus standard BEAM and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT); 95 in a phase III trial that randomized high-dose sequential (HDS) chemotherapy plus ASCT (45 patients) vs six courses of dose-dense intensified CHOP (iCHOP) (50 patients); 112 into a phase II trial with four courses of iCHOP in combination with Rituximab followed by Rituximab-MAD + BEAM and ASCT. CNS prophylaxis was not mandatory in the four protocols. Updated data regarding of survival, CNS relapses and late toxicities were recorded on June 2011. Results. Clinical characteristics were: aa-IPI 2 in 55%, aa-IPI 3 in 45%, PS > 2 in 66%, LDH upper normal value in 89%, number of extranodal sites > 2 in 35%, bone marrow involvement in 27% of patients, with no statistical differences between the four trials. With a median follow-up of five years, 5-year Overall Survival (OS) was 63% (95% CI: 57–69%) in the whole series; 5-year OS by treatment was 41% (95%CI: 24–74%) in MACOPB, 54% (95%CI: 37–68%) in MACOPB+MAD+BEAM and ASCT; 53% (95%CI: 38–67%) in HDS+ASCT; 58% (95%CI: 43–70%) in iCHOP; 79% (95%CI: 70–86%) in R-iCHOP+R-MAD+BEAM and ASCT. In a multivariate analysis, the risk of death was significantly reduced in R-iCHOP+R-MAD+BEAM and ASCT (p<.001) and was adversely influenced by age with a progressive increase of five years at diagnosis (p.008) or aa-IPI3 (p.001). Four patients experienced CNS relapses, three of them in R-iCHOP+R-MAD+BEAM and ASCT and one in MACOPB. Only one of the four patients received CNS prophylaxis with intrathecal Methotrexate, even if all of them were at risk for CNS relapse according to Italian Society of Hematology guidelines (Barosi, Hematol 2006). Cumulative incidence of CNS recurrence at 10 years for R-iCHOP+R-MAD+BEAM and ASCT regimen was 3.6% (0 to 7.8). Most frequent late toxicities were dyslipidemia and secondary amenorrhea. Regarding to secondary malignancies, myelodisplasia or acute myeloid leukemia were recorded in three patients, two of them treated with R-iCHOP+R-MAD+BEAM and ASCT, at a median time of seven years off therapy. The actuarial risk of secondary malignancies at 10 years for R-iCHOP+R-MAD+BEAM and ASCT was 4.2% (0 to 10). Conclusions. The addition of Rituximab to dose-dense iCHOP plus high-dose chemotherapy plus BEAM and ASCT improved the outcome in young untreated DLBCL patients at poor prognosis, with an acceptable risk of secondary malignancies and late toxicities. A careful identification of patients at risk could avoid the risk of CNS relapse. Disclosures: Vitolo: Roche Italy: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Speakers Bureau; Jannsen-Cilag: Speakers Bureau.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (22) ◽  
pp. 2473-2481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Thieblemont ◽  
Hervé Tilly ◽  
Maria Gomes da Silva ◽  
Rene-Olivier Casasnovas ◽  
Christophe Fruchart ◽  
...  

Purpose The standard treatment of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is rituximab in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). Lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory agent, has shown activity in DLBCL. This randomized phase III trial compared lenalidomide as maintenance therapy with placebo in elderly patients with DLBCL who achieved a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) to R-CHOP induction. Methods Patients with previously untreated DLBCL or other aggressive B-cell lymphoma were 60 to 80 years old, had CR or PR after six or eight cycles of R-CHOP, and were randomly assigned to lenalidomide maintenance 25 mg/d or placebo for 21 days of every 28-day cycle for 24 months. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Results A total of 650 patients were randomly assigned. At the time of the primary analysis (December 2015), with a median follow-up of 39 months from random assignment, median PFS was not reached for lenalidomide maintenance versus 58.9 months for placebo (hazard ratio, 0.708; 95% CI, 0.537 to 0.933; P = .01). The result was consistent among analyzed subgroups (eg, male v female, age-adjusted International Prognostic Index 0 or 1 v 2 or 3, age younger than 70 v ≥ 70 years), response (PR v CR) after R-CHOP, and positron emission tomography status at assignment (negative v positive). With longer median follow-up of 52 months (October 2016), overall survival was similar between arms (hazard ratio, 1.218; 95% CI, 0.861 to 1.721; P = .26). Most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events associated with lenalidomide versus placebo maintenance were neutropenia (56% v 22%) and cutaneous reactions (5% v 1%), respectively. Conclusion Lenalidomide maintenance for 24 months after obtaining a CR or PR to R-CHOP significantly prolonged PFS in elderly patients with DLBCL.


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