title: Rituximab purging and maintenance combined with auto-SCT: long-term molecular remissions and prolonged hypogammaglobulinemia in relapsed follicular lymphoma.
abstract: We enrolled 23 patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma (FL) in a prospective single-arm study of auto-SCT combined with in vivo rituximab graft purging and post transplant rituximab maintenance. Minimal residual disease was monitored with quantitative PCR testing. With a median follow-up of 74.2 months, neither median overall survival (OS) nor PFS has been reached. Here, 5-year OS and 5-year PFS are 78% (95% confidence interval (CI) 61-95%) and 59% (95% CI 38-80%), respectively. Time to progression (TTP) with the experimental regimen was significantly improved compared with TTP with the last prior treatment (P<0.001). Durable molecular remissions occurred in 11 of 13 assessable patients. PFS was significantly longer in patients who achieved a molecular remission by 3 months post-auto-SCT (P=0.001). Prolonged hypogammaglobulinemia occurred in most patients; however, no increase in major infections was observed.
authors.affiliation: Keenan Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buckstein
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mangel
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pennell
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imrie
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spaner
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boudreau
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crump
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Berinstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000361:Agammaglobulinemia / Q000209:etiology*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000175:diagnosis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012074:Remission Induction; D000069283:Rituximab; D016879:Salvage Therapy / Q000379:methods; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab