In a nutshell
The authors looked at the outcomes for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma who were treated with bendamustine (Treanda). The authors concluded that bendamustine has good long-term outcomes for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, especially when combined with rituximab (Rituxan).
Some background
Bendamustine has long been a treatment for slow growing (indolent) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Bendamustine is a type of chemotherapy that has been in use for over 50 years. It is used to treat patients with B-cell NHL, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), mantle cell lymphoma, and others.
Little is known about the long term outcomes and late onset complications for patients treated with bendamustine.
Methods & findings
This study looked at the long-term outcomes for NHL patients treated with bendamustine. The medical records of 149 patients were reviewed. All patients were treated with bendamustine. 106 patients were treated with bendamustine alone. 43 patients were treated with bendamustine and rituximab. The average length of follow-up was 8.9 years.
96 patients (64%) had FL, 13% of patients had small lymphocytic lymphoma, and 10% had marginal zone lymphoma.
The average overall survival (time from treatment to death from any cause) for the whole group was 65.9 months (approx. 5.5 years). The average overall survival for patients treated with bendamustine alone was 44.9 months. The average overall survival for patients treated with bendamustine and rituximab in combination was 113.2 months. The difference was statistically significant.
23 patients developed at least one additional cancer after treatment. 6 patients developed MDS (myelodysplastic syndromes). 2 developed acute myeloid leukemia.
The bottom line
The study concluded that bendamustine has good long-term outcomes, especially when combined with rituximab.
Published By :
British Journal of Haematology
Date :
Apr 17, 2017
