Double Biologic Regimen for Mantle Cell Lymphoma Well-Tolerated

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine points towards a more tolerable regimen for patients with Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

In this study, researchers enrolled 38 patients with untreated Mantle Cell Lymphoma with a median age of 65 years. All patients had Ann Arbor stage III or IV disease, and 89% had bone marrow involvement.

The regimen involved two biologics, rituximab and lenalidomide.

Rituximab was administered once weekly for the first 4 weeks and then once every other cycle until disease progression.

During the maintenance phase, lenalidomide was given on days one through to 21 of every 28-day cycle while rituximab was given once every 8 weeks.

Treatment was continued for at least 36 cycles, until disease progression, or unacceptable AEs (adverse events).

Among 36 patients available for evaluation, the overall response rate was 92% while the complete response rate was 64%.

"Treatment of patients with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, who are frequently older (median age 65 years) and unsuitable candidates for intensive regimens, remains a clinical challenge," wrote lead author Jia Ruan MD, PhD, of the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City and colleagues. "Our data show that a lower-intensity approach for initial therapy than that usually used in the case of patients with this cancer can be highly active, with durable responses observed in most patients."

Source: MedPage Today