Chemotherapy With Rituximab Is Better For Indolent Lymphoma Patients

Main Category: Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma
Article Date: 02 May 2007 - 7:00 PDT

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Patients with indolent or mantle cell lymphoma have higher overall survival rates when given the antibody rituximab in addition to their standard chemotherapy, a combination called R-chemo.

The R-chemo regimen has previously been shown to improve progression-free survival in patients with indolent or mantle cell lymphoma, but its impact on overall survival had not been demonstrated. Holger Schulz, M.D., of the University of Cologne in Germany, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that examined overall survival of patients with advanced indolent or mantle cell lymphoma treated with R-chemo or chemotherapy alone.

Looking at data from seven trials, the researchers found that patients treated with R-chemo had better overall survival than chemotherapy-only patients, but they were more likely to have fever and lower white blood cell counts.

"Concomitant treatment with rituximab and standard chemotherapy regimens should be considered the standard of care for patients with indolent and mantle cell lymphomas who require therapy and for patients with follicular lymphoma," the authors write.

Contact: Holger Schulz

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Other highlights in the May 2 JNCI

Note: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute is published by Oxford University Press and is not affiliated with the National Cancer Institute. Attribution to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute is requested in all news coverage. Visit the Journal online at http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/.

Contact: Liz Savage
Journal of the National Cancer Institute

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