Tag: Jia Ruan MD

Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program Study on Mantle Cell Lymphoma Has Received a Top 10 Clinical Research Forum Achievement Award from a National Clinical Research Organization

Dr. Jia Ruan examines study participant Russell Meyer. Photo credit: Carlos Rene Perez

Dr. Jia Ruan, lead author of the New England Journal of Medicine  study “Lenalidomide plus Rituximab as Initial Treatment for Mantle-Cell Lymphoma,” was in Washington on April 12 at the Clinical Research Forum fifth annual awards ceremony to receive the Top 10 Clinical Research Achievements Award.  She also presented the study at the opening plenary session during the 2016 Translational Science meeting.

The 10 winning papers were chosen based on their degree of innovation from a pool of more than 40 nominations from 30 research and academic health centers nationwide.

The multi-center phase 2 study showed that a combination therapy lacking many of the typical debilitating effects of traditional cancer treatment could effectively manage mantle cell lymphoma by inducing remissions in the vast majority of patients.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that primarily affects elderly individuals. Initial treatment is not standardized and variable, but usually includes chemotherapy regimens that are generally not curative and may not be tolerated by all patients.

In this ongoing study, treatment with biologic combination of lenalidomide and rituximab led to high response rates and durable remissions in patients with previously untreated MCL, providing an effective alternative to conventional chemotherapy for a broad range of patients.

Thirty-eight patients have been treated on the study with induction and maintenance therapy. Among 36 evaluable patients, 92% responded to treatment, 64% of whom achieved complete response. Eighty-five percent of patients have no evidence of disease progression, and 97% remain alive at the two-year mark. The majority of patients reported a high quality of life as measured by quality-of-life instruments throughout treatment. The most common side effect were asymptomatic low white blood cell counts and transient inflammatory symptoms generally reversible with lenalidomide dose adjustment and supportive care.

“With this frontline treatment, we were able to achieve a very high quality and durable response rate without needing to use chemotherapy,” Ruan said. “It’s very meaningful for the patients who have always been told that their disease is without a cure.”

She thanked all of the patients who participated in the trial, as well as her Weill Cornell Medicine co-investigators: John Leonard M.D., Peter Martin M.D., Morton Coleman M.D., Richard Furman M.D., Paul Christos Dr.P.H. M.S., Orel Katz P.A., Jessica Katz P.A., and Amelyn Rodriguez R.N. Additional collaborators included Dr. Bijal Shah from Moffit Cancer Center, Drs. Steven Schuster and Jakub Svoboda from the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center, and Dr. Sonali Smith from the University of Chicago Medical Center.

 

REDLAMP 12: Lenalidomide & Rituximab Combo Promising as Initial Treatment for Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma is a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that primarily affects the elderly. Approach to initial treatment is highly variable, and decisions are made with consideration of balancing efficacy and toxicity. In this video Dr. Jia Ruan discusses results from a study published in the November 5th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study demonstrated that lenalidomide when taken in combination with rituximab provides an effective treatment option .

Previous #REDLAMP entries can be viewed on our Youtube channel.

We encourage you to follow the Lymphoma Program on Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook where we will highlight new videos are about research publications as they are released. We also welcome your feedback, suggestions and questions about this project. If you have other questions about our lymphoma program or clinical trials or would like to see one of our lymphoma specialists, please contact us at 212-746-2919.

New Drug Combination Displays Promise for the Treatment of Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that primarily affects elderly patients. Due to the age of these patients and associated medical conditions, they are often less able to tolerate chemotherapy regimens. Still those patients who are eligible for chemotherapy frequently relapse, and require further treatment. However, clinicians in the Lymphoma Program at Weill Cornell Medicine recently published results from a clinical trial that combined the non-chemotherapy alternatives of lenalidomide and rituximab as an initial treatment for patients with MCL.

These findings were published online Nov. 4 and in the Nov. 5 print issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. They demonstrate that the combination of lenalidomide and rituximab provides an effective alternative to chemotherapy for MCL patients. Over 90% of patients enrolled in the trial responded to the therapy, with long term outcomes at the 2 year mark remaining steady in 85% of patients. During treatment patients maintained a high quality of life and were able to participate in daily activities like work, travel, and standard social activities.

The lead author of the study Dr. Jia Ruan an associate professor of clinical medicine and a member of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. She commented on the results,

 “For patients, their quality of life was preserved or improved, and that’s a huge step up from regular chemotherapy…With this frontline treatment, we were able to achieve a very high quality and durable response rate without needing to use chemotherapy. It’s very meaningful for the patients who have always been told that their disease is without a cure.”

She continued on the benefits of this  treatment combination when compared to other treatments,

“Conventional, intensive treatment may be out of reach or undesirable for many MCL patients, who often receive less intensive or palliative care that is of limited benefit. This inspired us to look for a less toxic, biological option with novel drugs that could be easily administered and more widely applicable.”

The senior author of the study Dr. John Leonard, a professor of medicine, the Richard T. Silver Distinguished Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, associate dean for clinical research, and associate director of clinical trials at the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine commented on the trial,

“I’m inspired by the fact that patients are enthusiastic about this approach. I’m also excited that lymphoma physicians are thinking out of the box, that many in the community now think that a non-chemotherapy-based paradigm with novel agents is something important to take forward and more broadly assess.”

Clinical trials like this exemplify the bench to bedside approach taken in the Lymphoma Program at Weill Cornell Medicine. Look to this space for future updates on MCL, and treatment with this new combination. A listing of available clinical trials for MCL can be found on our Joint Clinical Trials website.