The combination of lenalidomide and rituximab may represent a reasonable alternative to chemotherapy for some people with previously untreated follicular lymphoma (FL), according to a study led by Dr. Peter Martin, chief of the Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (WCM/NYP) Lymphoma Program.
Dr. Martin collaborated with the Lymphoma Program’s Drs. Jia Ruan and John Leonard, along with experts from academic medical centers across the country, to evaluate the non-chemotherapy drug combination in a phase II trial known as CALGB 50803, the results of which were recently published in the Annals of Oncology. The formalized collaboration was made possible by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, a cooperative group sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Lenalidomide plus rituximab was administered over twelve 28-day cycles to 65 adults with previously untreated follicular lymphoma. Seventy-two percent of patients achieved a complete response. At five years, the overall survival rate was 100 percent, and 70 percent of patients remained free from disease progression. Rates are comparable with those typically produced by standard chemotherapy.
The study also demonstrated low rates of hematologic toxicity, such as neutropenia (low white blood cell count), lymphopenia (low lymphocyte levels) and thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), but low-grade side effects like fatigue, constipation, diarrhea and rash were commonly reported.
The results of the CALGB 50803 study do not definitively establish whether lenalidomide-rituximab is more or less toxic or more or less effective than a standard chemotherapy regimen; such insights will be clearer following completion of the randomized phase III RELEVANCE trial, which compares lenalidomide-rituximab to chemotherapy plus rituximab.
Optimal use of chemotherapy requires a careful balance of anti-tumor activity with tolerability. WCM/NYP is proud to be a leader in the discovery and development of therapies that are both active against cancer and well tolerated.
New Developments in Lymphoma 