In a nutshell
This study looked at the effectiveness of bortezomib plus cyclophosphamide and rituximab at treating patients with relapsed mantle cell lymphoma. The study concluded that this combination of medication is safe and effective at treating patients with relapsed or difficult to treat mantle cell lymphoma.
Some background
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Patients who relapse or do not respond to initial treatment (refractory) have poor outcomes. It is important to study new treatment options for these patients.
The combination of bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (BCR) has had good outcomes in mice and small human trials. More research is needed to determine if the BCR regimen is safe for patients and effective at improving outcomes.
Methods & findings
21 patients participated in this study. All patients were treated with the BCR regimen. Patients received 1.3 mg/m2 of bortezomib on days 1, 4, 8, and 11 of the cycle. Patients were given 300 mg/m2 of cyclophosphamide on days 2, 3, and 4 of the cycle. Patients received 375 mg/m2 of rituximab on day 1 of the cycle. Patients received 6 cycles lasting 21 days each. The average length of follow up was 31 months.
At the end of follow up, the overall response rate (any response to treatment) was 74%. The complete response rate (no sign of disease) was 42%. The average overall survival (time from treatment to death from any cause) was 36.4 months.
Three patients discontinued treatment because of negative side effects. Low platelet (cells involved in blood clotting) counts and low neutrophil (white blood cell) counts occurred in 25% of cycles.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that the bortezomib, cyclophosphamide and rituximab regimen leads to good patient outcomes and manageable side effects.
Published By :
The Oncologist
Date :
May 01, 2017
