In a nutshell
The authors looked at the effect of rituximab (Rituxan) treatment after autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with mantle cell lymphoma. The authors concluded that the use of rituximab after autologous stem cell transplantation improves outcomes for patients with mantle cell lymphoma.
Some background
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It has been difficult to treat with chemotherapy. Relapses are common, and patients require aggressive treatment. Autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT; stem cells from the patient’s own bone marrow) has improved patient outcomes.
Rituximab is a biological treatment that has been used as part of treatment both before and after auto-SCT. Rituximab binds to a receptor found on the surface of lymphoma cells. This makes the cancer cell visable to the immune system of the patient. More research is needed on the effect of rituximab treatment following auto-SCT.
Methods & findings
The medical records of 191 patients were reviewed. All patients had MCL and were eventually treated with auto-SCT. The average follow up time was 6.3 years.
39% of patients received rituximab after auto-SCT. Rituximab was started an average of 130 days after auto-SCT and was finished an average of 605 days later.
The 5-year overall survival (time from treatment to death from any cause) was 71% for the whole group. The 5-year overall survival for patients who received rituximab within 180 days of auto-SCT was 88%. The 5-year overall survival for patients who did not receive rituximab by then was 63%. The difference was statistically significant.
The bottom line
The study concluded that receiving maintenance Rituximab within 180 days of autologous SCT improves outcomes for patients with mantle cell lymphoma.
Published By :
Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Date :
Jul 18, 2017
