Evaluating bendamustine with ofatumumab, carboplatin and etoposide for relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma

This study aimed to investigate the combination of bendamustine (Treanda), ofatumumab (Arzerra), carboplatin (Paraplatin), and etoposide (Etopophos) in patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).  

This study concluded that this combination was safe and effective in these patients. 

Standard treatment for relapsed/refractory NHL involves salvage chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant (autoSCT). Salvage chemotherapy is treatment given after the cancer has not responded to other treatments. AutoSCT involves taking healthy stem cells from the patient and giving them back after treatment has killed the cancer. However, some patients cannot undergo autoSCT.

An alternative salvage therapy to autoSCT involves chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy. bendamustine, carboplatin, and etoposide are chemotherapies. Ofatumumab is an immunotherapy approved for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The safety and effectiveness of the combination of bendamustine, ofatumumab, carboplatin, and etoposide (BOCE) in patients with relapsed/refractory NHL as a salvage treatment are unknown.

This study involved 35 patients with relapsed/refractory NHL. All patients were treated with BOCE. They were followed up for an average of 24.1 months.

The overall response rate was 69%. 49% of patients achieved a complete response (no cancer left). The average survival without cancer progression was 5.1 months. The average overall survival was 26.2 months. 12 patients underwent stem cell transplantation after treatment.  

The most common severe side effects were fever with low white blood cells, low levels of sodium, and phosphate. There were no treatment related deaths.   

This study concluded that BOCE is a safe and effective salvage regimen for patients with relapsed/refractory NHL and an effective bridge to SCT.

This was a small study with a low number of participants. Larger studies are needed. This study was funded by Novartis, the manufacturer of ofatumumab.