Treatment of refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia with fludarabine phosphate via the group C protocol mechanism of the National Cancer Institute: five-year follow-up report.

1997 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 458-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Sorensen ◽  
D A Vena ◽  
A Fallavollita ◽  
H G Chun ◽  
B D Cheson

PURPOSE To provide fludarabine to physicians for the management of patients with advanced refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and to determine the response rate and duration, toxicity, and survival with this agent. PATIENTS AND METHODS This phase II protocol was open to all eligible patients whose local physicians obtained written permission from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to register patients onto this protocol. Of 791 national and international enrolled patients, 724 with a median age of 65 years received fludarabine, of which 703 were assessable for response. RESULTS Thirty-two percent of assessable patients responded (95% confidence interval [CI], 29% to 36%), with 21 patients (3%) obtaining a complete response and 205 (29%) a partial response. The median duration of response was 13.1 months and the median survival time from registration was 12.6 months. Age, performance status (PS), and Rai stage correlated with survival (P < .01). Grade 4 hematologic toxicity was reported in 43% and was associated with infection in 22%. Neurotoxicity (primarily grade 1 motor dysfunction) was reported in 14% patients and correlated with age. CONCLUSION This study describes the toxicity and activity of fludarabine in refractory CLL in a setting that more closely resembles clinical practice than most published trials. The low response rate may be related to advanced stage (89% Rai high-risk), disease-related symptoms (63% had B symptoms), and/or degree of prior treatment. Other contributing factors inherent in a group C treatment protocol included lack of central pathology review, variable supportive care, and a tendency to use this mechanism at a later stage in the disease.

Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 1295-1298 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Rozman ◽  
E Montserrat ◽  
N Vinolas ◽  
A Urbano-Ispizua ◽  
JM Ribera ◽  
...  

Abstract Ten previously untreated patients with early B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) (seven in Rai's stage 0, three in stage I) were given recombinant alpha 2-interferon (alpha 2IF) (2 X 10(6) U/m2 intramuscularly three times a week for a minimum of 14 weeks) to assess its effectiveness. All patients were evaluable for response to therapy and toxicity. No complete response was achieved. In all cases a definite, although transient reduction in the absolute number of peripheral blood lymphocytes was observed. In eight patients an increase in the absolute number of granulocytes was detected. None of the patients experienced severe hematologic toxicity. Fatigue, malaise, and fever were the more common side effects, but all patients were able to finish their treatment as planned. The results of this pilot study suggest that low doses of recombinant alpha 2-IF have some activity in early and previously untreated B-CLL and that further studies of IF effectiveness in B-CLL seem warranted.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 2518-2518
Author(s):  
Januario E. Castro ◽  
Jan Bole ◽  
Carlos E. Prada ◽  
Thomas J. Kipps

Abstract High-dose gluocorticoids and the anti-CD20 mAb Rituximab each can effect partial responses in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), although complete and durable responses to treatment with either of these agents have not been reported. We examined whether patients with relapsed and/or refractory CLL could respond to these agents when used in combination in a pilot clinical trial. Fourteen patients with progressive, symptomatic, and relapsed/refractory disease were treated with three four-week cycles of high-dose Methylprednisolone (HDMP) at 1gr/m2 daily for 5 days and weekly Rituximab® at 375mg/m2 for four weeks. The median age of the patients was 60 years, the male to female ratio was 4:1, the ECOG performance status was &lt; 2, and the average number of prior treatments was 2. All patients failed or were intolerant to fludarabine and 86% had high-risk disease by the modified Rai classification. Sixty-five percent of the patients had CLL cells that expressed ZAP-70 and unmutated immunoglobulin variable region genes. Response assessment was performed at the end of each cycle, two months after completion of treatment, and each 3–6 months thereafter until the patients experienced disease progression and/or required further treatment. Objective responses were observed in all 14 patients, with 6 patients achieving a complete response (CR) and the remainder a partial response (PR) as per the NCI-working group criteria. We observed a significant decrease in peripheral white blood cell (WBC) counts, increase in hemoglobin, elevation of platelet counts and a dramatic decrease in lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. Five of the treated patients have not required further treatment with a median follow up of 26 months. Of these 5 patients 3 have maintain a CR. The median time to progression (TTP) was 12 months. Overall, the treatment was well tolerated and all the patients, except one, completed 3 cycles of therapy. The majority of adverse events were Grade I-II (fluid retention, cough, transient hyperglycemia, fatigue). In addition, we observed 7 episodes of grade III-IV toxicity secondary to (anemia, CMV esophagitis and GI bleeding with one case each and two cases each of thrombocytopenia and neutropenia). These data suggest that treatment with the combination of Rituximab® and HDMP has increased activity over treatment with either agent alone and may produce durable complete responses in patients with refractory and / or relapsed CLL.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 32-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Byrd ◽  
Januario Castro ◽  
Susan O’Brien ◽  
Ian W. Flinn ◽  
Andres Forero-Torres ◽  
...  

Abstract Lumiliximab is a PRIMATIZED® anti-CD23 monoclonal antibody with human IgG1 constant regions and macaque variable regions. Preclinical data demonstrated that lumiliximab enhanced both fludarabine- and rituximab- mediated apoptosis in CLL cells. Thus, a Phase 1/2, open-label, dose-escalation, multicenter study (Study 152–30) evaluating lumiliximab + fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (L + FCR) for relapsed CD23+ B-cell CLL was initiated. Treatment has been completed and follow-up is ongoing. Thirty-one patients (pts) received either 375 mg/m2 (n=3) or 500 mg/m2 (n=28) of lumiliximab in combination with a 28-day cycle of FCR for up to 6 cycles. Median age at study entry was 58 yrs. The majority of pts (74%) were Rai Stage I/II. The most common adverse events included nausea (77%), pyrexia (61%), chills (55%), neutropenia (55%), and fatigue (48%). Twenty pts (65%) experienced a Grade 3 or 4 event. An overall response rate of 71% was demonstrated: 48% complete response (CR), 10% partial response (PR), and 13% unconfirmed PR. Currently, baseline cytogenetic data is available for 21 pts who received 500 mg/m2 of lumiliximab. Although preliminary, 1 of the 4 pts with del(17p13.1) responded; of the 6 pts with del(11q22.3), 5 responded with 4 attaining a CR. A comparison with published data from a study of FCR alone in 177 pts with relapsed or refractory CLL conducted at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) (Wierda W, O’Brien S, Wen S, et al. J Clin Oncol.2005;23:4070–4078) demonstrated that L + FCR has an acceptable safety profile, does not appear to increase the toxicity (including myelosuppression) of the FCR regimen, and compares favorably with the CR rate of the FCR regimen alone, as displayed in Table 1. Most pt characteristics (age, gender, median number of prior therapies, and WHO performance status) were similar between the 2 studies; however, more pts in the MDACC study were Rai Stage III-IV (50% vs 22%) and were rituximab-naïve (88% vs 40%). Furthermore, there were no obvious differences in hematologic toxicity between the 2 studies and the tolerability of L + FCR was similar to that of FCR, with approximately 50% percent of pts completing 6 cycles of treatment in both studies. These data suggest that L + FCR may produce a higher complete response rate than FCR without additional toxicity. Based upon this data, a multicenter, global, randomized study of L + FCR vs. FCR alone is being initiated. Table 1. Comparison of Responses in Study 152–30 and the MDACC Study Study 152–30, L + FCR (N=31), n (%) MDACC, FCR (N =177), n (%) 1CR and PR response criteria were the same in both studies. 2PRu is included in the OR. Overall Response 22 (71%) 130 (73%) Complete Response1 15 (48%) 45 (25%) Partial Response1 3 (10%) 85 (48%) Unconfirmed Partial Response2 4 (13%)


Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 5599-5599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Kuvshinov ◽  
Sergei Voloshin ◽  
Irina Martynkevich ◽  
Ludmila Martynenko ◽  
Andrei Garifullin ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction . The development of Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors and their introduction into clinical practice represent a major advance in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Several studies in CLL have determined the achievement of minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity as an independent favorable prognostic factor, associated with superior progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. MRD status is the single best posttreatment predictor of long-term outcomes after treatment, regardless of the treatment protocol or the presence of other pre-existing prognostic indicators. Aim.To estimate of response rate, PFS and MRD after ibrutinib-based therapy in the treatment patients with relapsed/refractory CLL. M ethods.21 pts with relapsed/refractory CLL were included in the analysis. Stratification of patients into groups based on therapy. Group 1 (n = 14): 2nd and subsequent lines of rituximab-based chemotherapy (RB - 10, FCR - 4) and Group 2 (n = 12): ibrutinib-based therapy (420 mg daily oral Ibrutinib ± Chemoimmunotherapy). We have used NCI-IWCLL revised guidelines for treatment initiation and assessment of response. MRD was detected by multicolor flow cytometry of bone marrow in patients achieved a complete or partial remission: Group 1 - 7 pts, Group 2 - 5 pts. Results. The median age was 60.5 years (45-83) in Group 1 and 62.5 years (49-82) in Group 2 and median previous lines of therapy was 1 (1-4) and 2 (1-4), respectively. Patients with unfavorable chromosomal abnormalities were detected in each group: Group 1 - 2 pts (combination del(11q) with del(13q)); Group 2 - 1 pts (del(17p)). Overall response rate (ORR) in Group 1 was 71.4% (complete remission (CR) - 1 pt, partial remission (PR) - 9 pts, stable disease (SD) - 3 pts, progression disease - 1 pt). Group 2: ORR 91.7% (CR - 3 pts, PR - 8 pts; SD - 1 pt). Statistically significant differences in the frequency of ORR between groups were not detected (p>0.05). MRD-negative remission rate was 40% (2/5, CR - 1 pt) in Group 2 compared to 14.3% (1/7 pts, CR) in Group 1 (p>0.05). Statistically significant differences in PFS were detected between Group 1 vs. Group 2 (p=0.0006). Median PFS in Group 2 has not been reached. Median PFS in Group 1 was 16.9 month. Conclusion. Ibrutinib is highly effective at controlling disease, but best responses are typically partial remission, and patients must remain on treatment to maintain disease control. Evaluation of response and MRD after ibrutinib-containing therapy in the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia require further research. Disclosures Shuvaev: Pfizer: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Novartis pharma: Honoraria.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 1165-1171 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Keating ◽  
S. O’Brien ◽  
S. Lerner ◽  
C. Koller ◽  
M. Beran ◽  
...  

One hundred seventy-four patients with progressive or advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have received initial therapy with fludarabine as a single agent or fludarabine combined with prednisone. The overall response rate was 78% and the median survival was 63 months. No difference in response rate or survival was noted in the 71 patients receiving fludarabine as a single agent compared with the 103 patients who received prednisone in addition. The median time to progression of responders was 31 months and the overall median survival was 74 months. Patients over the age of 70 years had shorter survivals. Patients with advanced stage disease (Rai III and IV) had a somewhat shorter survival than earlier stage patients. More than half the patients who relapsed after fludarabine therapy responded to salvage treatment, usually with fludarabine-based regimens. Second remissions were more common in patients who had achieved a complete remission on their initial treatment. The CD4 and CD8 T-lymphocyte subpopulations decreased to levels in the range of 150 to 200/μL after the first 3 courses of treatment. Although recovery towards normal levels was slow, the incidence of infections was low in patients in remission (1 episode of infection for every 3.33 patient years at risk) and decreased with time off treatment. There was no association of infections or febrile episodes with the use of corticosteroids or the CD4 count at the end of treatment and a poor correlation with the increase in CD4 counts during remission. Infectious episodes were less common in patients who had a complete response compared with partial responders. Richter’s transformation occurred in 9 patients and Hodgkin’s disease occurred in 4 patients. Five other patients died from other second malignancies. Fludarabine appears to be an effective initial induction therapy with a reasonable safety profile for patients with CLL. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.


Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 1295-1298
Author(s):  
C Rozman ◽  
E Montserrat ◽  
N Vinolas ◽  
A Urbano-Ispizua ◽  
JM Ribera ◽  
...  

Ten previously untreated patients with early B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) (seven in Rai's stage 0, three in stage I) were given recombinant alpha 2-interferon (alpha 2IF) (2 X 10(6) U/m2 intramuscularly three times a week for a minimum of 14 weeks) to assess its effectiveness. All patients were evaluable for response to therapy and toxicity. No complete response was achieved. In all cases a definite, although transient reduction in the absolute number of peripheral blood lymphocytes was observed. In eight patients an increase in the absolute number of granulocytes was detected. None of the patients experienced severe hematologic toxicity. Fatigue, malaise, and fever were the more common side effects, but all patients were able to finish their treatment as planned. The results of this pilot study suggest that low doses of recombinant alpha 2-IF have some activity in early and previously untreated B-CLL and that further studies of IF effectiveness in B-CLL seem warranted.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M Tuscano ◽  
Christina Poh ◽  
Aaron S Rosenberg ◽  
Brian A. Jonas ◽  
Gustavo Barisone ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: While many humanized monoclonal antibodies utilize complement dependent cytotoxicity, the complement depleting effects of these antibodies and the effect of complement replacement are not well-described. This study sought to examine complement levels and the effect of complement repletion after treatment with ofatumumab in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Methods: Twelve patients with relapsed or refractory CLL were treated with ofatumumab in combination with fresh frozen plasma used as complement replacement. The primary endpoint was objective response rate. Correlative endpoints included complement levels C3 and C4 and complement activity. Results: Adverse events were minimal, and efficacy was encouraging with an overall response rate of 83% and 2 patients (17%) achieving a complete response. While only 2 (17%) of patients had low complement activity at baseline, 8 (67%) developed low levels of complement activity. At a median follow-up time of 37 months the median progression-free survival was 12.5 months. Conclusions: While a minority of patients had low complement activity at baseline, a majority developed low levels of complement with ofatumumab treatment. The magnitude of complement depletion did not correlate with response. Future trials are needed to further explore complement replacement as a less toxic strategy to improve efficacy of monoclonal antibody-based regimens in CLL.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (26) ◽  
pp. 3209-3216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Fischer ◽  
Paula Cramer ◽  
Raymonde Busch ◽  
Sebastian Böttcher ◽  
Jasmin Bahlo ◽  
...  

Purpose We investigated the safety and efficacy of bendamustine and rituximab (BR) in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patients and Methods In all, 117 patients, age 34 to 78 years, 46.2% of patients at Binet stage C, and 25.6% of patients age 70 years or older received BR chemoimmunotherapy for first-line treatment of CLL. Bendamustine was administered at a dose of 90 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2 combined with 375 mg/m2 rituximab on day 0 of the first course and 500 mg/m2 on day 1 during subsequent courses for up to six courses. Results Overall response rate was 88.0% (95% CI, 80.7% to 100.0%) with a complete response rate of 23.1% and a partial response rate of 64.9%. Ninety percent of patients with del(11q), 94.7% with trisomy 12, 37.5% with del(17p), and 89.4% with unmutated IGHV status responded to treatment. After a median observation time of 27.0 months, median event-free survival was 33.9 months, and 90.5% of patients were alive. Grade 3 or 4 severe infections occurred in 7.7% of patients. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events for neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia were documented in 19.7%, 22.2%, and 19.7% of patients, respectively. Conclusion Chemoimmunotherapy with BR is effective and safe in patients with previously untreated CLL.


2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (26) ◽  
pp. 3559-3566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Fischer ◽  
Paula Cramer ◽  
Raymonde Busch ◽  
Stephan Stilgenbauer ◽  
Jasmin Bahlo ◽  
...  

Purpose The objective of this trial was to evaluate safety and efficacy of bendamustine combined with rituximab (BR) in patients with relapsed and/or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patients and Methods Seventy-eight patients, including 22 patients with fludarabine-refractory disease (28.2%) and 14 patients (17.9%) with deletion of 17p, received BR chemoimmunotherapy. Bendamustine was administered at a dose of 70 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2 combined with rituximab 375 mg/m2 on day 0 of the first course and 500 mg/m2 on day 1 during subsequent courses for up to six courses. Results On the basis of intent-to-treat analysis, the overall response rate was 59.0% (95% CI, 47.3% to 70.0%). Complete response, partial response, and nodular partial response were achieved in 9.0%, 47.4%, and 2.6% of patients, respectively. Overall response rate was 45.5% in fludarabine-refractory patients and 60.5% in fludarabine-sensitive patients. Among genetic subgroups, 92.3% of patients with del(11q), 100% with trisomy 12, 7.1% with del(17p), and 58.7% with unmutated IGHV status responded to treatment. After a median follow-up time of 24 months, the median event-free survival was 14.7 months. Severe infections occurred in 12.8% of patients. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia were documented in 23.1%, 28.2%, and 16.6% of patients, respectively. Conclusion Chemoimmunotherapy with BR is effective and safe in patients with relapsed CLL and has notable activity in fludarabine-refractory disease. Major but tolerable toxicities were myelosuppression and infections. These promising results encouraged us to initiate a further phase II trial evaluating the BR regimen in patients with previously untreated CLL.


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