title: Long-term follow-up of patients with newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma in the prerituximab era: effect of response quality on survival--A study from the groupe d'etude des lymphomes de l'adulte.
abstract: PURPOSE First-line treatment for patients with newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma (FL) still remains debated, even in the rituximab-based combination therapy era. Few studies have addressed the question whether complete remission (CR) translates into better survival. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term follow-up of prospectively treated patients with FL and the potential correlation between response quality to first-line treatment and overall survival (OS). PATIENTS AND METHODS Data from 536 patients with FL with low (n = 193) or high (n = 343) tumor burden enrolled from October 1986 to May 1995 in the French and Belgian GELF86 studies were analyzed. Data from these trials have been previously reported for low-tumor burden and high-tumor burden patients. Results Median follow-up was 14.9 years, and median OS was 9.8 years. Treated patients who achieved a complete response (CR; n = 194; 45%) had a significant longer OS than those only reaching a partial response (PR; n = 168; 39%) throughout treatment (hazard ratio [HR], 0.55; 95% CI, 0.42 to 0.72; P < .001) in an univariate time-dependent Cox model. Similar findings were found when response to treatment (CR v PR) was adjusted for potentially confounding factors in a multivariate model (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.73; P < .001). CONCLUSION These data provide a long follow-up of these patients' cohorts and indicate that a better response to first-line treatment translates into an improved survival for patients with FL. Therefore, response-adapted therapy aiming to achieve a CR should be considered as first-line treatment.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hématologie, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, 165 Chemin du Grand Revoyet, 69495 Pierre Bénite Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bachy
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brice
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delarue
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brousse
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haioun
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Le Gouill
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delmer
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bordessoule
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tilly
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Corront
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Allard
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Foussard
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bosly
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coiffier
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gisselbrecht
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Solal-Celigny
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salles
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001530:Belgium; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018579:Patient Selection; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D000069283:Rituximab; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab