Long-term outcomes of radioimmunotherapy for patients with follicular lymphoma

This study evaluated the long-term outcomes of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL). This study concluded that RIT is a safe and effective long-term treatment option for these patients.

FL is the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The current standard first-line treatment for these patients is chemoimmunotherapy. Radiation therapy is also used but is not commonly given to patients who experience a relapse.

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) combines immunotherapy and radiotherapy. ⁹⁰Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) is a monoclonal antibody with a radioactive particle attached to it. This type of treatment binds to cancer cells and gives them the radioactive particle. This leads to cancer cell death. The long-term outcomes of this treatment for patients with FL remain under investigation.

This study involved the records of 281 patients with FL. 229 patients (81.5%) received RIT after experiencing a relapse. 52 patients (18.5%) received RIT as a first-line treatment. Patients were followed-up for an average of 8.2 years.

76.9% of patients who received RIT as a first-line treatment had complete disappearance of all signs of cancer (complete response). 48.5% of patients treated at relapse had a complete response. Tumor shrinkage was seen in 9.6% of those treated as first-line and in 16.6% of those treated at relapse.

For all patients, 8-year progression-free survival rate (patients still alive 8 years later without disease progression) was 33.9%. 8-year overall survival rate (patients still alive 8 years later) was 58.8%. 

A second cancer was seen in 12.5% of patients treated with RIT. 

This study concluded that RIT is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with FL, both as a first-line treatment or after relapse.

This study was retrospective, meaning it looked back in time to analyze data. More studies are needed to confirm these results.