Author: lymphomaprogram

Located on the Upper East Side of New York City, the Lymphoma Program at Weill Cornell Medical College/NewYork Presbyterian Hospital is internationally recognized for our efforts to enable patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin disease and related disorders to have the best possible clinical outcome, including cure when possible.

Clinical Trials FAQ

Are you interested in participating in a lymphoma clinical trial, but unsure of what a clinical trial encompasses?

If so, then please click here for our recently added Clinical Trials FAQ. This page is useful for addressing the concerns and misconceptions regarding clinical trials by outlining their basic structure and requirements in the Lymphoma Program at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Here at Weill Cornell we are dedicated to providing the best in patient care, while working towards the ultimate goal of finding a cure for lymphoma. Clinical trials are one of the many tools we use to help accomplish these dual goals. For a full listing of all current clinical trials underway in the Lymphoma Program, please click here.

New Clinical Trial: Ibrutinib in Refractory Follicular Lymphoma

The Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program has recently opened a clinical trial evaluating ibrutinib in men and women with refractory follicular lymphoma. The study sponsor is Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and the principal investigator at Weill Cornell is Dr. Peter Martin. For more information about the study, please call Amelyn Rodriguez, RN at (212) 746-1362 or e-mail Amelyn at amr2017@med.cornell.edu.

Key Eligibility
  • Age 18 and older
  • Refractory follicular lymphoma
  • Previously treated with at least 2 prior lines of therapy
  • Did not respond to last prior therapy
  • Detailed eligibility reviewed when you contact the study team
Study Details

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the response to treatment with the experimental drug ibrutinib, also called PCI-32765. Ibrutinib is an oral drug that inhibits the enzyme Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK), decreasing the ability of lymphoma cells to grow and survive.

Treatment Plan

All study participants will receive ibrutinib; there is no placebo. Participants will take 4 capsules by mouth once every day. Participants will continue taking ibrutinib as long as they are responding to treatment and not experiencing unacceptable side effects.

Click here to view all current lymphoma trials at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Dose-Adjusted EPOCH-Rituximab Shows Encouraging Results for Patients with Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma

Initially recognized in the 1980s, primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) arising in the thymus. Representing less than 3% of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases, PMBCL has a skewed age distribution affecting young adults, especially young women. Historically, patients with PMBCL have been treated with mediastinal radiation following chemotherapy based on evidence that chemotherapy alone was insufficient. Despite the high cure rates with this strategy, mediastinal radiation in young patients can be associated with late adverse effects, including premature cardiovascular disease and secondary cancers.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and their partner institutions recently completed a phase II study of infusional dose-adjusted etoposide, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide with vincristine, prednisone, and rituximab (DA-EPOCH-R) with no mediastinal radiation complement. In 51 patients with a median age of 30 years, of which 59% were women, the overall survival rate was 97% at the median 5-year follow-up. From these results, researchers suggested that DA-EPOCH-R therapy obviated the need for radiotherapy in patients with PMBCL.  

While these results from this phase II study are encouraging, they will need to be confirmed with further research.