non-chemo – New Developments in Lymphoma

Promising Long-Term Outcome of Chemo-Free Mantle Cell Lymphoma Treatment Published in Blood Journal

The long-term outcome of the first-ever study of a non-chemotherapy frontline treatment approach to mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) was recently published in the American Society of Hematology’s prestigious Blood Journal.

Led by Dr. Jia Ruan, clinical investigators at four medical centers across the United States launched a phase two clinical trial in 2011 to evaluate the novel biological pairing of lenalidomide plus rituximab as induction (initial) and maintenance (relapse prevention) therapy. The team’s treatment goals were to provide disease control and extend survival, while maintaining quality of life.

Read more about the study here.

Of 36 evaluable patients, about 92 percent responded to treatment, with 64 percent achieving complete remission. At five-year follow-up, 77 percent of participants were alive and well, and 64 percent remained free of disease progression.

To determine how well the lenalidomide plus rituximab combination works, the team also measured the status of minimal residual disease (MRD) – the small amount of cancer cells that may be left after treatment that have the potential to lead to relapse. Eight out of a subset of ten evaluable patients tested MRD-negative.

Overall, the chemotherapy-free drug combination has produced durable remission rates with potential to achieve MRD-negative remissions. Chronic maintenance therapy with lenalidomide and rituximab has manageable side effects, including infections, cytopenias (low blood count), and some expected secondary primary malignancies.

This outcome represents a major stride in treatment and care of the MCL patient population, who harbor a rare and generally incurable disease where intensive chemotherapy regimens do not necessarily translate to cure and may not be tolerated by all patients.

“The introduction of novel agents – including the immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide and Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors ibrutinib and acalabrutinib, which are FDA-approved for MCL – is poised to transform MCL management by making effective ‘chemo-free’ treatment accessible to all patients in both relapsed/refractory and frontline settings,” says Jia Ruan, MD, PhD.

Chemo-Free Follicular Lymphoma Treatment Regimen Shows Promise in Phase II Clinical Trial

Capture 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.

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