Chemotherapy and antibody combinations for relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Abstract

Monoclonal antibodies are commonly used in combination with chemotherapy when treating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Superior clinical benefits of chemotherapy–antibody combinations have been convincingly demonstrated in the setting of initial therapy in large randomized trials for many of the most common lymphoma subtypes. Clinicians have extrapolated from data in the initial treatment setting to justify chemotherapy–antibody combinations in the treatment of relapsed lymphoma. Many Phase II studies of chemotherapy–antibody combinations in relapsed lymphoma reviewed herein demonstrate clinical activity, and several randomized Phase III trials demonstrate superior clinical results when antibody is added to chemotherapy regimens in relapsed patients who have not previously been exposed to antibodies. Less clear is whether antibodies add to the clinical benefit of chemotherapy when patients have previously been exposed to antibodies, much less in the setting of patients who did not have a good result to a previous antibody-containing treatment plan.

Keywords::

• chemotherapy
• monoclonal antibodies
• radioimmunotherapy
• relapsed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Brian K Link has been compensated in the past 5 years for consulting work performed for Genentech and GlaxoSmithKline. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.