Frontline treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in elderly: a systematic review of clinical trials in post-rituximab era

Abstract

Treatment of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains challenging in elderly population and systematic reviews are lacking in this area. Medline and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials in addition to conference proceedings were searched for therapeutic clinical trials on frontline treatment of DLBCL in adults ≥60 in post-rituximab era. Forty-one out of 713 reviewed papers met our inclusion criteria. Six cycles of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone (R-CHOP) administered every 21 d remain the standard treatment for fit elderly, with no role for maintenance rituximab. For individuals ≥80, the strongest evidence favors rituximab/ofatumumab-miniCHOP. Numerous alternative approaches including the use of liposomal anthracyclines, dose and regimen adjustment to frailty/comorbidity score, brief duration regimens, and consolidative radioimmunotherapy have produced promising outcomes and could be considered for R-CHOP inappropriate elderly. Phase III randomized trials studying the efficacy of liposomal vincristine, extended-exposure rituximab, and lenalidomide plus R-CHOP are ongoing.

Keywords:

• Diffuse large B cell lymphoma
• DLBCL
• elderly
• systematic review
• post-rituximab
• therapeutic clinical trials

Acknowledgement

The authors would wish to extend our warm gratitude to Drs Matthew Cheung, Andrew Davies, Fredrick Hagemeister, Marie Jose Kersten, John Leonard, Grzegorz Nowakowski, Daniel Persky, Michael Pfreundschuh, Julie Vose, and Richard van der Jagt for their cordial reply to inquiry for non-published evidence.

Potential conflict of interest

Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2018.1443332.