Phase II study of intensified rituximab induction and maintenance for low grade B cell lymphoma

Abstract

Rituximab has markedly improved the outcomes of B cell lymphoma, and its maintenance has been shown to be beneficial in low grade B cell lymphoma (LGBCL). We conducted a multicenter, phase II trial of intensive rituximab induction and maintenance therapy for LGBCL to optimize the rituximab monotherapy. Patients with newly diagnosed or rituximab naïve relapsed LGBCL received 8 weekly rituximab as induction, then continued maintenance therapy with rituximab for 4 weeks at 6-month intervals. The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR). Forty-five patients were enrolled from 2005 to 2009 and 36 were eligible. The ORR was 83.3% (30/36) with a complete response rate of 72.2% (26/36). The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 76.7% with a median follow-up of 43.0 months. Five grade three toxicities were observed (no grade 4). Our findings suggest that this regimen demonstrates high activity with durable PFS and minimal toxicity in LGBCL patients.

Keywords:

• Low grade B cell lymphoma
• rituximab
• induction
• maintenance

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Clinical Research from the National Hospital Organization.

Potential conflict of interest

Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at https://doi.org.10.1080/10428194.2017.1319054.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Clinical Research from the National Hospital Organization.