Treatment with rituximab plus a regimen of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has proven efficacy in clinical trials, few long-term data are available for the use of this combination in patients in a real-world setting.
Treatment with rituximab plus a regimen of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has proven efficacy in clinical trials; however, few long-term data are available for the use of this combination in patients in a real-world setting.
A study newly published in Oncology Letters presents real-world experience with rituximab plus CHOP in a single-center retrospective database analysis. Between 2004 and 2013, 624 patients with DLBCL were treated at the Institute of Oncology in Ljubljana, Slovenia. All patients received first-line chemotherapy, and the 607 patients whose tumors were CD20-positive (n = 575) received rituximab with their CHOP or CHOP-like chemotherapy regimens. Another 32 patients received a different non-anthracycline chemotherapy regimen in combination with rituximab, and 17 patients received chemotherapy alone.
A total of 136 patients (22%) received second-line therapy, and 56 patients (9%) received third-line therapy. According to the IPI risk category system, 170 patients (30%) were considered low- risk, 134 (23%) were low/intermediate-risk, 129 (23%) were high/intermediate-risk, and 140 (24%) were high-risk.
The researchers determined progression-free survival (PFS) only among patients undergoing first-line treatment, and found an overall 10-year PFS of 72%. The following percentages of patients were progression-free at 10 years after treatment:
Overall survival (OS) was assessed for all patients, and the researchers observed a 10-year OS rate of 51% in the overall population. Median OS was 124 months in the overall population, and the percentages of patients who were alive at 10 years after treatment were as follows:
There was a statistically significant difference in OS between younger patients (aged 60 years or under) with a good prognosis versus those with a poor prognosis, with 10-year OS rates of 87% and 67%, respectively. “Younger, high-risk patients clearly represent a population for whom better treatment options are needed,” say the authors.
The authors conclude that rituximab plus CHOP or CHOP-like regimens in patients with DLBCL in the real-world setting can have “excellent outcomes,” but they stress the importance of accurate disease staging to confidently assign prognostic scores and assess likely outcomes for these patients.
Reference
Horvat M, Zadnik V, Šetina TJ, et al. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: 10 years’ real-world clinical experience with reituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone [published online January 11, 2018]. Oncol Lett. doi: 10.3892/ol.2018.7774.
Switching to Rituximab Biosimilars Is Safe, Effective for Patients With Oncohematological Diseases
December 5th 2024Patients with oncohematological diseases switching to rituximab biosimilars experienced similar safety and efficacy, highlighting biosimilars' potential for cost-effective treatment across various medical conditions.
Biosimilars Oncology Roundup for June 2024—Podcast Edition
July 7th 2024On this episode of Not So Different, we review biosimilar news coming out of June, with clinical trial results from conferences and a study showcasing how to overcome economic and noneconomic barriers to oncology biosimilars.
Denosumab Biosimilars Earn Positive CHMP Opinion for Bone Loss and Giant Cell Tumor of Bone
November 26th 2024The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion for the denosumab biosimilars SB16 for all indications referencing Prolia and Xgeva.
A New Chapter: How 2023 Will Shape the US Biosimilar Space for 2024 and Beyond
December 31st 2023On this episode of Not So Different, Cencora's Brian Biehn and Corey Ford take a look back at major policy and regulatory advancements in 2023 and how these changes will alter the space going forward.
Eye on Pharma: Henlius, Organon Updates; Meitheal Portfolio Expansion; Celltrion Zymfentra Data
November 5th 2024Henlius and Organon’s pertuzumab biosimilar met phase 3 goals; Meitheal expanded its US biosimilars; Celltrion’s subcutaneous infliximab (Zymfentra) showed monotherapy could be as effective as combination therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.