Frontline bortezomib and rituximab for the treatment of newly diagnosed high tumour burden indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a multicentre phase II study.
There is a lack of published data examining non-cytotoxic options for the frontline treatment of patients with high-tumour burden (HTB) indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL). We completed a multicentre phase II study for patients with untreated HTB iNHL (NCT00369707) consisting of three induction cycles of weekly bortezomib and rituximab followed by an abbreviated consolidation. Forty-two patients were treated and all were evaluable; the most common histology was follicular lymphoma (FL) (n = 33, 79%). Patient characteristics included median age 62 years (40-86); 38% bulky disease; 19% malignant effusions; 91% advanced-stage disease; and median FL International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) score was 3. Therapy was well tolerated with few grade 3/4 toxicities including minimal neurotoxicity. On intent-to-treat, the overall response rate (ORR) at end of therapy was 70% with a complete remission (CR) rate of 40% (FL: ORR 76%, CR 44%). With 50-month median follow-up, 4-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 44% with 4-year overall survival (OS) of 87% (FL: 44% and 97%, respectively). Four-year PFS for FLIPI 0-2 vs. 3-5 was 60% vs. 26% respectively (P = 0·02), with corresponding OS rates of 92% and 81% respectively (P = 0·16). Collectively, bortezomib/rituximab is a non-cytotoxic therapeutic regimen that was well tolerated and resulted in long-term survival rates approximating prior rituximab/cytotoxic chemotherapy series for untreated HTB FL.
Division of Hematology/Oncology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Andrew M
AM
Evens
Mitchell R
MR
Smith
Izidore S
IS
Lossos
Irene
I
Helenowski
Michael
M
Millenson
Jane N
JN
Winter
Steve T
ST
Rosen
Leo I
LI
Gordon
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001897:Boronic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D000069286:Bortezomib; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011719:Pyrazines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D000069283:Rituximab; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D001897:Boronic Acids; D011719:Pyrazines; D000069283:Rituximab; D000069286:Bortezomib
bortezomib; cancer; follicular lymphoma; prognosis; treatment