CLINICAL NEWS
investigated whether rituximab maintenance therapy
would prolong response in patients who had received a
transplant conditioning regimen without total-body ir-
radiation and induction therapy without alkylating and
anthracycline agents.
Between September 2008 and August 2012, the
researchers enrolled 279 adult patients (median age
= 57 years; range = 27-65 years) who were younger
than 66 years of age and had untreated MCL. Patients
included in the study were eligible to undergo AHCT,
had Ann Arbor stage II-IV disease, and had an Eastern
Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score
of <3. Patients with other major coexisting conditions
were excluded.
All patients received induction therapy with four
courses of R-DHAP (rituximab, dexamethasone,
high-dose cytarabine, and cisplatin). Twenty
patients who had a partial response or whose tumor
was reduced by <75 percent then received rescue
induction therapy with four courses of R-CHOP
(rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin,
vincristine, prednisone).
A total of 257 patients underwent AHCT (14
R-DHAP–treated patients and 8 R-CHOP–treated
patients were excluded, mainly for disease progression
or ineligibility to receive AHCT). Prior to transplant,
patients received conditioning therapy with R-BEAM
(rituximab, carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine,
melphalan).
For as long as three months after transplant,
patients were randomized to either the maintenance
arm (rituximab 375 mg/m 2 administered
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