Study Supports Zolinza for Patients with Indolent B-cell Lymphomas

Researchers say the drug might improve outcomes in some patients with indolent and incurable B-cell lymphomas.

Right now, Zolinza is only FDA-approved for the treatment of relapsed or recurrent cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Japanese researchers carried out a multi-center phase II study of Zolinza (vorinostat) in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma.

They recruited 50 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients (39 who had follicular lymphoma) who had relapsed following treatment. Relapse is extremely common with these indolent diseases.

Study focuses on response rate, safety, tolerance

Patients received 200 mg of Zolinza twice daily for 14 consecutive days in a 21-day cycle. Scientists think Zolinza works by inhibiting a class of enzymes called histone deacetylases. Zolinza treatments continued until the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma began to progress again or until the side effects became too much to continue. The primary endpoint was overall response rate in follicular lymphoma patients and safety and tolerance in the rest of the test subjects.

The overall response rate among the relapsed follicular lymphoma patients was 49 percent. The most serious complications from Zolinza treatment were a reduction in platelets and certain white blood cells, both of which they considered to be manageable.

"Vorinostat (Zolinza) offers sustained antitumor activity in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma with an acceptable safety profile," the team wrote.

Their findings appear in the British Journal of Haematology.

Source: Digital Journal