Bendamustine plus rituximab versus R-CHOP as first-line treatment for patients with indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: evidence from a multicenter, retrospective study

Subsequent Malignancies After CD19-Targeted Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells in Patients With Lymphoma

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are an established treatment for B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHL). With the remarkable success in improving survival, understanding the late effects of CAR T cell therapy is becoming more relevant. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of subsequent malignancies in adult patients with B-NHL. We retrospectively studied 355 patients from 2 different medical centers treated with four different CAR T cell products from 2016 to 2022. The overall cumulative incidence for subsequent malignancies at 36 months was 14% (95% CI: 9.2%, 19%). Subsequent malignancies were grouped into 3 primary categories: solid tumor, hematologic malignancy, and dermatologic malignancy with cumulative incidences at 36 months of 6.1% (95% CI: 3.1%-10%), 4.5% (95% CI: 2.1%-8.1%) and 4.2% (95% CI: 2.1%-7.5%) respectively. Notably, no cases of T cell malignancies were observed. In univariable analysis, increasing age was associated with higher risk for subsequent malignancy. While the overall benefits of CAR T products continue to outweigh their potential risks, more studies and longer follow ups are needed to further demonstrate the risks, patterns, and molecular pathways that lead to the development of subsequent malignancies.

Bendamustine and rituximab is well-tolerated and efficient in the treatment of indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma in elderly: A single center observational study

Bendamustine and rituximab (BR) is a preferred first-line therapy for indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (iNHL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL); however, few reports on BR performance in elderly patients are available to date. We compared safety and efficacy of BR in patients ≥70 years (elderly) vs <70 years (younger) treated at our institution. Among 201 patients, 113 were elderly (median age: 77 years), including 38 patients ≥80 years, and 88 were younger (median age: 62 years). Elderly patients had more bone marrow involvement by lymphoma, anemia, ECOG status 3 and high-risk disease follicular lymphoma (P < .05 for all). Fifty-four percent of elderly received full dose of bendamustine vs 79.5% of younger patients. More elderly patients (54%) vs younger (43.2%) experienced treatment delay. Less elderly proceeded to rituximab maintenance. Overall, the number of adverse events per patient and transformed B-Cell lymphoma/secondary malignancies were similar between groups. Elderly patients had less febrile neutropenia, rituximab-associated infusion reactions, but more herpes zoster reactivation. There were more deaths in the elderly (37.2%) vs younger (10.2%) groups (P < .001), mainly due to non-lymphoma-related causes. With median follow-up of 42 months [4.0-97.0] disease-free survival for the elderly was similar to younger patients. There was no difference between patients <80 and ≥80 years (P = .274). In conclusion, the real-world elderly patients have more advanced disease and higher ECOG status. BR is well-tolerated; elderly patients had lower incidence of febrile neutropenia. Dose reduction and treatment delays are common, but BR efficacy was not affected even in very old patients (≥80 years).

BeEAM (Bendamustine, Etoposide, Cytarabine, Melphalan) Versus BEAM (Carmustine, Etoposide, Cytarabine, Melphalan) as Conditioning Regimen Before Autologous Haematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a standard of care for selected patients with refractory/relapsed Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and it is also used as first-line clinical consolidation option for some aggressive NHL subtypes. Conditioning regimen prior to ASCT is one of the essential factors related with clinical outcomes post transplant. The conditioning regimen of carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan (BEAM) traditionally is considered the standard of care for patients with lymphoma who are eligible for transplantation. Replacement of carmustine with bendamustine (BeEAM) was described as an alternative conditioning regimen in the autograft setting for patients with lymphoma. Several studies have reported inconsistent clinical outcomes comparing BeEAM and BEAM. Therefore, in the lack of well-designed prospective comparative studies, the comparison of BeEAM versus BEAM is based on retrospective trials. To compare the clinical outcomes between BeEAM and BEAM, we performed a meta-analysis of 10 studies which compared the outcomes between BeEAM and BEAM in patients autografted for lymphoma disease (HL or NHL). We searched article titles and compared transplantation with BeEAM versus BEAM in MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane library, and EMBASE database. Here, we report the results of nine main endpoints in our meta-analysis comparing BeEAM and BEAM, including neutrophil engraftment (NE), platelet engraftment (PE), overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), non-relapse mortality (NRM), relapse rate (RR), grade 3 mucositis, renal toxicity, and cardiotoxicity. We discovered that the BeEAM regimen was associated with a slightly better PFS [pooled odds ratio (OR) of 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.52-0.94, P = 0.02], lower RR (0.49, 95% CI, 0.31-0.76, P = 0.002), higher mucositis (3.43, 95% CI, 2.29-5.16, P = 0.001), renal toxicity (4.49, 95% CI, 2.68-7.51, P = 0.001), and cardiotoxicity (1.88, 95% CI, 1.03-3.40, P = 0.03). We also discovered that the two groups had equivalent NE (pooled WMD -0.64, 95% CI, -1.46 to 0.18, P = 0.13), PE (pooled WMD -0.3, 95% CI, -1.68 to 2.28, P = 0.77), OS (0.73, 95% CI, 0.52-1.01, P = 0.07), and NRM (1.51, 95% CI, 0.76-2.98, P = 0.24). The results of this meta-analysis show that the BeEAM regimen is a viable alternative to BEAM. More prospective comparisons between BeEAM and BEAM are required.

Phase 1 Study Evaluating Pharmacokinetics and Tolerability of Ofatumumab Combined With Bendamustine in Patients With Indolent B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

The pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of ofatumumab and bendamustine alone and in combination were evaluated in patients with treatment-naive or relapsed indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL). Patients were randomly assigned to ofatumumab and bendamustine or ofatumumab alone. Ofatumumab PK concentration profiles and parameters were similar, alone or in combination with bendamustine. A decrease of 14% in the maximum observed plasma concentration (C_max ) and 15% in the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) from time 0 to the last measurable concentration sampling time (AUC_last ) was observed for ofatumumab coadministered with bendamustine, which was not considered clinically relevant. Bendamustine PK concentration profiles and parameters were similar with or without ofatumumab. The most frequent treatment-related adverse event was infusion-related reaction in 53% in the combination arm and 47% in the ofatumumab arm. No relevant drug-drug interaction was observed between ofatumumab and bendamustine. Ofatumumab alone or in combination with bendamustine had a manageable safety profile.

Higher incidence of thrombocytopenia during obinutuzumab plus bendamustine therapy for untreated follicular lymphoma: a retrospective analysis by the Okayama Hematology Study Group

Progression-free survival in patients with untreated follicular lymphoma (FL) has significantly improved with obinutuzumab plus chemotherapy followed by obinutuzumab maintenance, compared with rituximab plus chemotherapy. However, the survival outcome and adverse event profile in Japanese FL patients treated with obinutuzumab plus bendamustine (GB) therapy are not well investigated. Recently, we encountered some cases of grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia during GB therapy in patients with FL. This retrospective multicenter survey aimed to identify the characteristics of patients who received GB therapy and developed thrombocytopenia. A total of 54 patients with FL treated by GB therapy between August 2018 and December 2020 were investigated. After a median follow-up of 12.6 months, thrombocytopenia of any grade was observed in 48 (88.9%) patients, including 9 (16.7%) patients with grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia. Notably, although eight of nine patients with grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia were female, no patient characteristics (including gender) were significantly associated with grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia. Importantly, grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia frequently occurred in the first GB therapy cycle, which suggests that platelet count should be monitored carefully in patients who have just started GB therapy.

Serum immunoglobulin G as a discriminator of infection in follicular lymphoma patients undergoing chemotherapy with bendamustine in combination with rituximab

OBJECTIVES

Chemotherapy, including bendamustine, usually causes lymphocytopaenia and hypogammaglobulinaemia as side effects in patients with haematological malignancies. Therefore, the possibility has been considered that these immunological adverse events induced by bendamustine may lead to infectious diseases. However, lymphocytopaenia and/or hypogammaglobulinaemia have not yet been shown to have a statistically significant association with infection in cancer patients who receive bendamustine.

METHODS

We retrospectively studied 27 patients with relapsed or refractory indolent follicular lymphoma who were treated with bendamustine and rituximab (BR). In order to elucidate relationships between immune-related laboratory parameters (i.e. peripheral blood leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte and immunoglobulin G [IgG]) and infectious events, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Infectious diseases occurred in 11 patients (11/27, 41%), including 3 (3/27, 11%) with severe diseases. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) showed that the lowest IgG level during and after BR discriminated infectious events (cut-off value, 603 mg/dL) with 81.8% sensitivity and 68.8% specificity (AUC, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.52-0.90). Furthermore, a multivariate regression analysis revealed that the minimal serum IgG value during and after BR therapy was the only variable that was significantly associated with infection (odds ratio, 8.29; 95% CI, 1.19-57.62; p value, 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Serum IgG ≤603 mg/dL during and after BR therapy was independently associated with an increased risk of infection. The monitoring of serum IgG during chemotherapy may help to predict the development of infection in blood cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with bendamustine in combination with rituximab.

Low absolute lymphocyte count is a poor prognostic factor for untreated advanced follicular lymphoma treated with rituximab plus bendamustine: results of the prospective phase 2 CONVERT trial

The aim of this trial is to evaluate the utility of rituximab-bendamustine (R-B) for untreated advanced follicular lymphoma (FL) showing non-optimal response (nOR) to R-CHOP, and to identify clinical prognostic factors for FL patients receiving R-B. Patients who failed to achieve complete response/complete response unconfirmed (CR/CRu) [nOR-group] after 2 cycles of R-CHOP subsequently received 6 cycles of R-B. The primary endpoint was the 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate. Secondary endpoints included determination of prognostic factors. Fifty-six patients initially received R-CHOP, 43/56 patients (76.8%) were judged as nOR, and 33/43 patients (76.7%) completed 6 cycles of R-B. At a median follow-up of 50.6 months in the nOR-group, the 3-year PFS rate was 69.0%, and the 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 92.7%. The most common toxicities associated with R-B were grade 3-4 lymphopenia (93.0%) and neutropenia (74.4%), both of which were manageable. A multivariate analysis including dose intensity, serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor, and FL international prognostic index-2 revealed low absolute lymphocyte count (<  869/μL) at diagnosis was an independent poor prognostic factor for both PFS and OS in the R-B-treated nOR-group. This result was further confirmed in validation cohorts including R-B-treated de novo (n = 40) and relapsed (n = 49) FL patients.

Initial Treatment of High Tumor Burden Follicular Lymphoma

Follicular lymphoma is the most common indolent B-cell lymphoma, with most patients presenting with advanced-stage disease. Patients who are symptomatic or otherwise meet the criteria for high tumor burden merit immediate intervention with combination immunochemotherapy, although more recently, "chemotherapy-free" approaches including novel therapies have shown benefit in this treatment-naïve population. In this review, the authors critically appraise the criteria for high tumor burden, the various options available for initial therapy, and the optimal post-treatment surveillance strategies.

Pretreatment SUVmax may influence the clinical benefit of BR over R-CHOP in patients with previously untreated FL

In 2 randomized phase 3 trials BR resulted in longer progression-free survival (PFS) than frontline R-CHOP in patients with indolent and mantle cell lymphoma. However, in subset analyses of follicular lymphoma (FL), the results were incongruent. We conducted a retrospective matched-pair analysis to compare the outcome of patients with advanced stage FL, receiving frontline BR (N = 73) or R-CHOP (N = 73), matched by age, gender, stage, and FL International Prognostic Index score. On multivariable analysis, baseline maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max) >13 was associated with use of R-CHOP (p = .001). After a median follow-up of 69 months for the BR arm and 126 months for the R-CHOP arm, 5-year PFS was 80% and 70%, respectively (p = .07). After adjusting for SUV_max >13, the trend for better PFS in BR was not maintained. Prospective studies are needed to validate the role of pretreatment SUV_max as a stratification factor in future randomized therapeutic trials in FL.

Real-world healthcare resource utilization in patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma: differences between patients treated with first-line ibrutinib or bendamustine + rituximab

Objective: This study evaluated the real-world healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs in patients diagnosed with an indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) and treated with either first-line ibrutinib monotherapy (IbM) therapy or bendamustine plus rituximab combination therapy (BR).Methods: Treatment-naïve iNHL patients in the IBM MarketScan Research Databases were identified based on the first prescription of either IbM or BR therapy between 02/01/2014 and 08/30/2017.Results: A greater proportion of IbM patients (n = 207) had at least one inpatient admission (IP) or emergency room visit (ER), both all-cause and iNHL-related, than BR (n = 1337) patients. In addition, the mean number of IP admissions and ER visits was significantly higher in the IbM cohort. No differences in total costs were found. Outpatients costs were higher in IbM patients and medical costs were higher in BR patients.Conclusions: These real-world findings highlight the importance of considering the healthcare resource utilization and the associated costs of iNHL patients which may be associated with their first-line therapy.

Follicular lymphoma treatment patterns between 2000 and 2014: a SEER-Medicare analysis of elderly patients

Aim: Characterize follicular lymphoma (FL) treatment patterns among elderly patients using a dataset with longer follow-up time. Materials & methods: Using the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare data, we identified patients diagnosed with FL between 2000 and 2013 with claims data until 2014. We investigated the treatments received and assigned them to lines of treatment. Results: We identified 10,238 elderly patients. Over a 4.7-year median follow-up, 78% of the patients received at least first-line treatment. Fewer individuals received second-line (47%) and third-line (30%) treatments. RCHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone), RCVP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisolone) and rituximab monotherapy were the most common treatment regimens. Conclusion: One in five elderly patients did not receive FL-directed therapy. The most common treatment regimens were limited to RCHOP, RCVP and rituximab monotherapy.

Patient-level Factors Associated With the Initial Management of Older Adults Diagnosed With Follicular Lymphoma: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare Analysis

INTRODUCTION

We evaluated patient-level factors associated with the initial management of older adults diagnosed with follicular lymphoma (FL).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare (SEER-Medicare) data; we identified 11,500 beneficiaries aged ≥ 66 years, diagnosed with FL between 2000 and 2013. A logistic regression model was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for factors associated with the receipt of active treatment versus watchful waiting (WW) as an initial management strategy. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to predict factors associated with receipt of specific active treatments, namely chemoimmunotherapy, rituximab monotherapy, chemotherapy, or radiation as compared with WW.

RESULTS

Overall, the initial management strategies adopted were WW (49%), chemoimmunotherapy (25%), radiation (10%), rituximab monotherapy (9%), and chemotherapy (7%). In reference to WW, grade III FL (AOR, 2.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.99-2.46), increasing disease stage (Stage IV AOR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.62-2.00), and use of preventive services (AOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.07-1.30) were associated with increased odds of active treatment receipt. Age > 80 years (AOR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.71-0.87), Non-Hispanic African-American race (AOR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.50-0.80), and state buy-in coverage (AOR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.70-0.94) were associated with decreased odds of active treatment receipt. In reference to WW, the multinomial logistic regression model displayed differences in the receipt of rituximab-based therapies by age and comorbidity burden. Non-Hispanic African-American race and state buy-in coverage were associated with decreased odds of receiving rituximab-based therapies.

CONCLUSION

The present analysis identifies disparities in the initial management of older adults with FL owing to race and socioeconomic status. Future research should examine implications for subsequent treatment and health outcomes.

[Follicular lymphoma: first - line selection criteria of treatment]

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a tumor that develops from the B cells of the germinal center; characterized by recurrent and remitting course of the disease, the transformation of a tumor into diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is possible. In generalized lesions and progression of FL, the most commonly used courses are R-CHOP and R-B. The choice of therapy for different cytological types, clinical and laboratory parameters remains disputable.

AIM

To analyze the clinical, laboratory, morphological parameters of patients with FL, who got R-B and R-CHOP therapy; determine the criteria for selecting induction therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 203 patients with FL from 2000 to 2018. R-CHOP treatment was initiated in 126 patients, 14 of whom later received high - dose therapy (HDT) (R-DHAP: rituximab, dexamethasone, cisplatin, cytarabine) without autologous stem cell transplantation (autoSCT), 21 - HDT with autoSCT; treatment of 89 patients was limited to courses of R-CHOP and maintenance therapy with rituximab, two patients (in whom the disease progressed, despite R-CHOP therapy) were assigned the mNHL-BFM-90 program. The efficacy of treatment on various treatment regimens was evaluated primarily by overall survival.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

R-B. 77 patients received R-B therapy. Complete remission of the disease was achieved in 47/77 (61%) patients (3 of them later developed a relapse of the disease), partial remission was achieved in 15/77 (19%) patients, in 13/77 (17%) cases progression was recorded tumors. 70 patients had 1-2 cytological type of tumor, 6 patients - 3A cytological type. In cases of progression, 3 of 13 patients (46%) were diagnosed with 3A cytological type FL. Median observation (at the time of analysis) - 34 months. R-CHOP. 89 patients with FL received high - dose therapy with R-CHOP (6-8 courses) and maintenance therapy with rituximab. In 39 (44%) patients, the disease remained in remission, and in 50 (56%), a relapse of the disease developed. 50 patients had 1-2 cytological types, 39 - 3 cytological types. In cases of recurrence of FL, a 3A cytologic type (36%) was diagnosed in 18/50 patients. Median observation - 93 months. R-CHOP + HDT and autoSCT. 21 patients after the R-CHOP courses continued (due to insufficient antitumor response) high - dose chemotherapy (HDT) and auto-SCT were performed. In 18/21 (86%) cases, complete remission of the disease was achieved and maintained, in 3 (14%) cases relapse developed. 16 patients had 1-2 cytological types, 5 - 3 cytological types. Median observation - 81 months. R-CHOP + HDT without autoSCT. 14 patients started therapy under the R-CHOP program as induction therapy, but then (due to insufficient antitumor response), the treatment was continued according to the HDT without autoSCT. 11 (79%) patients are currently in remission of the disease, in 3 (21%) - there was a relapse. 10 patients had 2 cytological types of PL, 4 - 3 cytological types. 11 (79%) patients are currently in remission of the disease, in 3 (21%) - there was a relapse. Median observation - 80 months. 7-year OS of patients with FL on RB therapy was 89% (95% CI 75-99), on R-CHOP therapy - 85% (95% CI 73-90), on R-CHOP + HDT and autoSCT - 87% (95% CI 57-100), on R-CHOP + HDT without autoSCT - 82%. 7-year PFS of FL patients on RB therapy was 70% (95% CI 75-99), on R-CHOP therapy - 44% (95% CI 73-90), on R-CHOP + HDT and autoSCT - 74% (95% CI 57-100), on R-CHOP + HDT without autoSCT - 80%.

CONCLUSION

The R-B is most effective in FL 1 and 2 cytological types. The cytological type does not correspond to the type of tumor growth: at 3A and 3A + 3B cytological types, nodular / nodular - diffuse and diffuse types of growth are found. When choosing an induction course, one should look at the cytological type of FL. A high proliferative activity index (according to Ki67) is a predictor of resistance to R-B therapy. The absence of an interfollicular T-cell reaction in tumor tissue FL is associated with tumor chemoresistance. The presence of the bulky factor is associated (in most patients) with the FLIPI index with values from 3 to 5, and is a predictor of a poor response to therapy. Patients with bulky, high (more than 35%) Ki67 index and FLIPI from 3 to 5 in the debut of the disease as the first line therapy, it is preferable to choose the R-CHOP mode, and in the absence of (after 4-6 courses) to complete or partial remission to continue conducting the HDT.

Increased Risk of Infectious Complications in Older Patients With Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Exposed to Bendamustine

Background

Bendamustine is a potent chemotherapy agent increasingly used to treat indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL). While effective, it causes significant T-cell lymphopenia, which may increase risk of infection. We examined infectious complications associated with bendamustine-containing regimens among older patients with iNHL.

Methods

For this Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare cohort study, we identified 9395 patients with iNHL (follicular, marginal zone, Waldenström macroglobulinemia) treated with chemotherapy from 2006 to 2013. Thirteen percent received bendamustine-containing regimens. We compared baseline characteristics and infection incidence rates between patients treated with and without bendamustine. We conducted multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression (adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, disease and treatment characteristics, risk factors for infection, and antimicrobial prophylaxis) to determine infectious risks associated with bendamustine.

Results

Bendamustine was associated with an increased risk of both common infections such as bacterial pneumonia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.50 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.21-4.85]) and opportunistic infections such as cytomegalovirus (HR, 3.98 [95% CI, 1.40-11.26]), varicella zoster virus (HR, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.18-1.89]), histoplasmosis (HR, 3.55 [95% CI, 1.10-11.42]), and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (when administered as third-line therapy: HR, 3.32 [95% CI, 1.00-11.11]). Risk of infections was more prominent in patients receiving bendamustine as part of later (third-line and above) regimens, and independently associated with well-established factors such as neutropenia and corticosteroid exposure.

Conclusions

Bendamustine is associated with an increased risk of common and opportunistic infections in patients with iNHL. Further prospective investigation into the potential role of antimicrobial prophylaxis is needed in these patients.

Study of gene polymorphisms as predictors of treatment efficacy and toxicity in patients with indolent non-hodgkin lymphomas and mantle cell lymphoma receiving bendamustine and rituximab

Bendamustine is used in combination with rituximab (BR) to treat indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas (iNHL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). The variability in treatment efficacy and toxicity could be related to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in immune response genes. We would like to show a correlation between SNPs and treatment outcome in iNHL and MCL patients receiving BR. We investigated some SNPs that had already been associated with NHL outcome. Samples were genotyped for the IL2 (rs2069762), IL10 (rs1800890, rs10494879), VEGFA (rs3025039), IL8 (rs4073), CFH (rs1065489) and MTHFR (rs1801131) SNPs by allelic discrimination assays. We enrolled 70 patients that received rituximab 375 mg/m² and bendamustine 90 mg/m² every 28 days, both as first-line treatment and ≥ second-line regimens. Overall response rate was 97·1% (complete response [CR] rate 73·9%). Treatment toxicity included grade 3-4 neutropenia (24/70 patients), infections (21/70 patients; 1/70 grade 3), skin rash (26/70 patients; 2/70 grade 3). After a median follow-up of 24 months we did find any correlation between the analysed SNPs, CR rate and PFS. However, we demonstrated an association between the SNP in IL2 (rs2069762) and the onset of skin rash (P = 0·0001). Our study suggests a role for cytokine SNPs in bendamustine-related toxicity, which could represent a promising research field.

Current and future therapeutic approaches for the treatment of follicular lymphoma

INTRODUCTION

Recent advances in prognostication as well as management of Follicular Lymphoma (FL) are moving to personalized approach. Areas covered: Prognostic scores as well as consolidated and innovative therapeutic approaches are evaluated according to the various presentation modalities. For asymptomatic, low-tumor burden FL, a 'watch and wait' policy is currently the first-choice approach, although possible alternatives are discussed. Early stage FL may be treated with local radiotherapy although the role of minimal residual disease in possible additional agents should be determined. The first line treatment for symptomatic FL is chemo-immunotherapy followed by two years maintenance therapy with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. A deeper knowledge of FL biology has opened new perspectives regarding the timing of therapy and has offered new targets for the development of novel agents that aim to change the therapeutic scenario of FL management. Expert commentary: The introduction of novel agents could question the incurability of FL and change the therapeutic goal from prolonging the complete remission state to eradicating the disease in young/fit patients, as well as improving quality of life in elderly/unfit patients. In the near future, combining new biologic agents and adoptive cell therapies could help in achieving these aims.

Bendamustine plus rituximab for indolent B-cell lymphoma of renal significance

Treatment of indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (iNHL) of renal significance is challenging given the need for deep and prolonged hematological response to restore and control renal function overtime, yet to be balanced with the risk of adverse drug-related events. This prospective single-center study included 20 patients with iNHL of renal significance (tubulointerstitial presentation [n = 8], glomerulopathy with or without monoclonal Ig deposits [n = 12]) who received a steroid-sparing regimen of rituximab plus bendamustine (BR), with either no or <1 month of steroid intake (as a first line therapy in 80%). Seventeen patients (85%) achieved a complete (CHR, n = 12) or a partial (PHR, n = 5) hematological response. Nine out of the 12 patients (75%) with iNHL-related glomerulopathy had a complete (CRR) or a partial (PRR) renal response. Among the six patients with glomerulopathy and CHR, five had a CRR (83%) compared to 1/6 (17%) that did not reach CHR. eGFR increased from 38 to 58 mL/min/1.73 m² , and returned to baseline in five patients. Among the eight patients with a tubulointerstitial presentation, six (75%) had a renal response (5 CRR), and eGFR increased from 29 to 48 mL/min/1.73 m² . One patient with a PHR had a renal relapse. Mortality rate was 10% at 12 months. The BR regimen was well tolerated overall. Thus, despite severe renal disease at presentation, a relapsing iNHL in 20% of patients and several comorbidities, the BR regimen was efficient and safe in our series. It should be further assessed as a first line therapy for patients with iNHL of renal significance.

Bendamustine plus Rituximab Versus R-CHOP as First-Line Treatment for Patients with Follicular Lymphoma Grade 3A: Evidence from a Multicenter, Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND

Rituximab plus bendamustine (R-B) has been demonstrated to improve outcomes and reduce toxicity compared with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in follicular lymphoma (FL). Nevertheless, in clinical practice, many centers still prefer R-CHOP to R-B in patients with FL grade 3A (FL3A). Therefore, we retrospectively assessed patients with FL3A treated with either R-CHOP or R-B in five European cancer centers and compared their outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively assessed 132 patients affected by FL grade 3A treated with either R-B or R-CHOP in the first line and evaluated outcome and toxicity according to the type of treatment. This study included 101 patients who were a subgroup of a previously published cohort.

RESULTS

R-B was less toxic and achieved a similar percentage of complete remissions compared with R-CHOP (97% vs. 96%, p = .3). During follow-up, 10 (16%) patients relapsed after R-B and 29 (41%) after R-CHOP (p = .001), leading to a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 15 versus 11.7 years, respectively (p = .03). Furthermore, R-B overcame the negative prognostic impact of BCL2 expression (15 vs. 4.8 years; p = .001). However, median overall survival was similar between both groups (not reached for both; p = .8).

CONCLUSION

R-B as a first-line treatment of FL3A is better tolerated than R-CHOP and seems to induce more profound responses, leading to a significantly lower relapse rate and prolonged PFS. Therefore, R-B is a valid treatment option for FL grade 3A.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Rituximab plus bendamustine (R-B) has shown to be less toxic and more effective than rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in follicular lymphoma grade 3A. Although both regimens can induce a complete remission in >95% of patients, relapses occur more frequently after R-CHOP than R-B, leading to a significantly longer progression-free survival in the latter. R-B is also able to overcome the impact of negative prognosticators, such as BCL2 expression. However, because of the indolent course of this disease and efficient salvage treatments, overall survival was similar in both treatment groups. Therefore, R-B is a valid treatment option in this patient setting.

Effective management strategies for patients with marginal zone lymphoma

Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) is an uncommon indolent lymphoma classified into subtypes based on primary site of involvement: splenic, nodal and extranodal. MZLs' relative rarity has largely precluded adoption of a standard management strategy. Here, we provide an overview of the epidemiology, clinical behavior and therapeutic approaches for each subtype. Biologic insights into lymphomagenesis have identified B-cell receptor signaling as a rational therapeutic target. Recent clinical data suggest that novel agents targeting this pathway, including the Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, ibrutinib, show significant promise in treatment of relapsed MZL. More work is needed to evaluate these agents' activity in the front-line setting, possible combination regimens and the impact of resistance to B-cell receptor-targeted agents in order to optimize therapy in MZL.

Bendamustine plus rituximab is an effective first-line treatment in hairy cell leukemia variant: a report of three cases

Hairy cell leukemia variant (HCLv) is a chronic lymphoproliferative disorder classified as a provisional entity in the 2016 WHO Classification of Lymphoid Tumors. HCLv is characterized by unfavorable prognosis, low complete remission rates and limited disease control following classical hairy cell leukemia-based regimens. In this study, we report 3 cases of elderly patients with treatment-naive, TP53 un-mutated HCLv, who were effectively treated with four cycles of bendamustine plus rituximab. The regimen was completed in all the patients with acceptable toxicity. All patients achieved a complete clinical response with no evidence of residual disease at bone marrow biopsy and flow-cytometry examination. After a median follow-up of 19 months, the 3 subjects are still in complete remission. In this work, bendamustine plus rituximab proved to be an effective and feasible first-line treatment strategy for elderly patients with TP53 un-mutated HCLv.

The Combination of Rituximab and Bendamustine as First-Line Treatment Is Highly Effective in the Eradicating Minimal Residual Disease in Follicular Lymphoma: An Italian Retrospective Study

R-Bendamustine is an effective treatment for follicular lymphoma (FL). Previous large trials demonstrated the prognostic role of the molecular minimal residual disease (MRD) during the most frequently adopted chemotherapeutic regimens, but there are not yet conclusive data about the effect of combination of rituximab (R) and bendamustine in terms of MRD clearance. Thus, the aim of this retrospective study was to assess if and in what extent the combination of rituximab and bendamustine would exert a significant reduction of the molecular disease in 48 previously untreated FL patients. The molecular marker at baseline was found in the 62.5% of cases; no significant differences were observed between patients with or without the molecular marker in respect of the main clinical features. Moreover, the quantization of the baseline molecular tumor burden showed a great variability: the median value was 1.4 × 10-2 copies, ranging from 3 × 10-5 to 4 × 104. The initial molecular tumor burden did not correlate with clinical features and did not impact on the subsequent quality of response. After treatment, 93% of cases became MRD-negative; the median reduction of the BCL2/JH load was 4 logs. The 2-years PFS was 85%; it was significantly longer for patients in complete than for those in partial response (91 vs. 57%; p = 0.002), and for cases with lower FLIPI-2 score (88 vs. 60%; p = 0.004). On the contrary, PFS did not differ between patients with or without the molecular marker at baseline; a molecular tumor burden 15 times higher was observed in the relapsed subgroup in comparison to the relapse-free one, but this difference did not change the PFS length. The 2-years OS was 93.6%; the only variable that significantly impacted on it was the FLIPI-2 score; the presence of the molecular marker at baseline or its behavior after treatment did not impact on survival. This study, even if retrospective and conducted on a small series of patients, would represent a proof of concept that R-bendamustine is able to so efficaciously eradicate MRD that it could be able to by-pass the prognostic significance of MRD already demonstrated for other chemotherapeutic regimens in FL.