In a nutshell
This study looked at how effective the combination of bendamustine plus rituximab was at treating patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). The study concluded that bendamustine plus rituximab is safe and effective for treating patients with indolent B-NHL and MCL.
Some background
Rituximab plus chemotherapy (such as CHOP) is the first-line standard of care for patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) and MCL. However, this combination has not been as effective in elderly, untreated MCL patients.
Bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) has been shown to be effective in treating patients with relapsed or refractory (not responding to treatment) FL and MCL. It is not clear whether it is safe and effective as a first line treatment, or in elderly MCL patients.
Methods & findings
69 patients participated in the study. Patients were treated with 6 cycles of bendamustine plus rituximab. 59 patients had indolent B-NHL (51 FL). 10 patients had MCL.
The complete response rate (no detectable cancer) for all patients was 68.1%. The complete response rate for indolent B-NHL patients was 67.8%. The complete response rate for MCL patients was 70.0%.
The 30-month progression free survival (time from treatment to disease progression) was 72.1% for indolent B-NHL patients. The 30-month progression free survival was 67.5% for MCL patients.
17 patients had to stop treatment early. 13 patients stopped due to neutropenia, a reduction in the number of a type of white blood cell. All patients had at least one adverse event (negative outcome associated with treatment). There were no treatment related deaths.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that bendamustine plus rituximab is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with various types of indolent B-cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma.
Published By :
International journal of hematology
Date :
Apr 01, 2017
