Tag: clinical trials
New Clinical Trial: Lenalidomide + Rituximab as Front-Line Therapy for Untreated Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Update: this study is closed to enrollment.
The Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program is now enrolling patients in a new, investigator-initiated phase II study of lenalidomide in combination with rituximab in patients with previously untreated Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL). The study is led by Jia Ruan, MD. This study may be a good option for patients with MCL who need to travel to New York City to participate in a trial because lenalidomide, the study medication, can be taken at home. After the first month on study, patients will be seen in clinic on average of once a month.
Significant progress has been made in the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma; however, the majority of patients with Mantle Cell Lymphoma are not cured of their disease with current available chemotherapy-based options. The initial treatment for MCL is not standardized, and intensive chemotherapy does not seem to provide substantial benefit compared to conservative management in terms of long-term survival and quality-of-life measurements.
Researchers have recently discovered that the tumor microenvironment—the normal cells and blood vessels that surround a tumor–can contribute to tumor growth by providing blood supply and creating an environment that allows the tumor to grow. Biological compounds that disrupt the interaction and dependence of tumor cells with their microenvironment have shown promise in lymphoma therapy, including mantle cell lymphoma.
The purpose of this study is to test the synergy of combining lenalidomide, a biological agent that targets the tumor microenvironment, and rituximab, an antibody that targets lymphoma cells. By including a maintenance phase of lenalidomide and rituximab therapy, we hope to improve treatment effectiveness and maintain quality of life for patients. Continue reading “New Clinical Trial: Lenalidomide + Rituximab as Front-Line Therapy for Untreated Mantle Cell Lymphoma”
Lymphoma in the News: R-CHOP 21 Remains Standard of Care for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Several studies have demonstrated that rituximab (R) added to CHOP chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) can improve the outcomes of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBLC). Nonetheless, there remains room for improvement.
A German study from the pre-rituximab era demonstrated that giving CHOP chemotherapy every two weeks (i.e., CHOP-14) was better than given CHOP every three weeks (i.e., CHOP-21) in patients older than 60 years of age. This type of therapy is also referred to as “dose-dense” therapy, and it is attractive because it theoretically allows less time for cancer cells to grow between chemotherapy cycles. The question of whether CHOP-14 would remain superior to CHOP-21 even after the addition of rituximab is the subject of two ongoing phase 3 clinical trials, one in France and one in the United Kingdom (UK). Dr. David Cunningham presented the results of the latter trial at the recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago. After a median follow-up of about three years, there was no difference in survival between patients treated with R-CHOP-14 or R-CHOP-21. Click here to see the study abstract. These results are consistent with preliminary results from the French study presented in 2010 and confirm that R-CHOP 21 should remain the standard of care for most patients with DLBCL.
At Weill Cornell Medical Center, we believe that improvements in patient outcomes are likely to come from the addition of newer, targeted drugs to R-CHOP rather than increasing the dose or density of older chemotherapy regimens.
New Developments in Lymphoma 