title: Chemotherapy with rituximab followed by high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with mantle cell lymphoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The authors evaluated the efficacy of chemotherapy combined with rituximab followed by high-dose therapy (HDT) plus autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective analysis of 34 patients who were treated in 2 departments of hematology, including 29 patients (85%) who received first-line treatment. Rituximab was administered as 4 injections just before harvest in 25 patients (73%) or simultaneously with chemotherapy in 9 patients (27%). HDT included total body irradiation in 26 patients (77%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After induction therapy, all patients except one reached a response: There were 14 (41%) complete responses (CR) and 19 (56%) partial responses (PR). Stem cell harvest was successful in all patients but 2, with a median number of 5.9 CD34-positive cells per 10(6)/kg. Three months after transplantation, 24 patients (71%) were in CR, and 7 patients (21%) were in PR. At 3 years from the day of transplantation, the estimated overall survival was 87%. With a median follow-up at 2.6 years, the estimated median time to disease progression was 3.4 years. Rituximab treatment before harvest did not delay hematopoietic reconstitution: The median time it took patients to recover absolute neutrophil count to > 0.5 G/L was 10 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chemotherapy combined with rituximab followed by HDT improved the overall survival and progression-free survival in patients MCL without adding toxicities.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hématologie Clinique, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre-Bénite, France. catherine.thieblemont@chu-lyon.fr
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thieblemont
authors.forename: Daciana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Antal
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lacotte-Thierry
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Delwail
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Espinouse
authors.forename: Anne-Sophie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Michallet
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Traulle
authors.forename: Fadhela
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bouafia-Sauvy
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giraud
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salles
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guilhot
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coiffier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D020522:Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020551:Pulse Therapy, Drug; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D000069283:Rituximab; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D015996:Survival Rate; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000069283:Rituximab