Lymphoma

HOUSTON-Chemoimmunotherapy with rituximab (Rituxan) plus fludarabine, novantrone (mitoxantrone), and dexamethasone (FND) reduced levels of a major tumor marker and significantly improved projected 2-year failure-free survival in patients with stage IV indolent follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) who had molecular responses after 6 months of treatment. Results from a randomized study of 134 previously untreated patients were presented by Fernando F. Cabanillas, MD, chairman of the Department of Lymphoma-Myeloma at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

STANFORD, California-Rituximab (Rituxan) is highly active in achieving clinical response in lymphoctye predominance Hodgkin’s disease (LPHD) and may ultimately have the potential of reducing long-term side effects and improving survival in this disease, according to the results of a phase-II trial. Although LPHD has effectively been treated with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combined modality, a subset of patients experiences recurrence and treatment related morbidity and mortality-often from heart disease.

HOUSTON-Removing B cells improves control of classic Hodgkin’s disease and relieves B symptoms, reported Anas Younes, MD. Dr. Younes, associate professor, Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, administered the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan) to heavily pretreated patients who had relapsed classic Hodgkin’s disease. The rationale behind this trial, according to Dr.Younes, was that B cells may provide survival and resistance signals to Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells in Hodgkin’s disease.

NEW YORK-The promise of molecularly targeted therapies has been validated in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), Brian J. Druker, MD, of Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, said at the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XVIII. "This disease has provided an ideal opportunity to test the concept that drugs targeted against a tumor-specific abnormality will have therapeutic utility," he said.

SAN FRANCISCO-Patients receiving monoclonal antibody-targeted chemotherapy with gemtuzumab ozo-gamicin (Mylotarg) rather than conventional combination chemotherapy for first relapse of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) are more likely to be treated as outpatients, resulting in considerable cost savings, according to a study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Wyeth-Ayerst Research.

SAN FRANCISCO-Results of a phase II, open-label, multicenter study show that the investigational agent STI571 holds promise for many patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) whose disease has proved resistant to interferon therapy.

SAN FRANCISCO-HIV-positive patients with Burkitt’s lymphoma treated with intensive chemotherapy achieved high complete response rates similar to those without HIV infection, according to a retrospective review of 38 patients treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) between 1988 and 2000.

Over the past 2 decades, our understanding of the pathobiological events underlying chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has grown. At the same time, effective transplant and nontransplant treatment approaches to

Over the past 2 decades, our understanding of the pathobiological events underlying chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has grown. At the same time, effective transplant and nontransplant treatment approaches to

Over the past 2 decades, our understanding of the pathobiological events underlying chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has grown. At the same time, effective transplant and nontransplant treatment approaches to

NEW ORLEANS-Rituximab (Rituxan) is more effective in indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) than in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), according to a study evaluating factors affecting toxicity, response, and time to progression presented at the 36th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

ASCO-Tositumomab (Bexxar), an investigational antibody-based radioim-munotherapy agent, has been shown to be effective as first-line treatment of advanced-stage, low-grade follicular lymphoma, Mark Kaminski, MD, said at the 36th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, New Orleans.

ASCO-STI-571, an investigational drug that has high activity in benign-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), also produces significant hematologic responses in patients with advanced-stage CML or acute forms of leukemia, Moshe Talpaz, MD, said at the 36th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in New Orleans.

ASCO-Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin) has received FDA approval for treatment of CD33-positive acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in patients age 60 and older in first relapse who are poor candidates for cytotoxic therapy. The agent, manufactured by Wyeth-Ayerst, was approved as an orphan drug.

NEW ORLEANS-The chemotherapy regimen HCVAD followed by stem cell transplantation yields high response and survival rates for patients with aggressive mantle cell lymphoma, Issa Khouri, MD, of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, reported at the 41st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

Researchers in Germany and Austria have found a way to achieve high survival rates in children with Hodgkin’s disease while reducing serious long-term side effects. Until now, children with Hodgkin’s disease have experienced high survival rates but

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a recently identified, aggressive, B-cell neoplasm that is incurable with current combination chemotherapy regimens. Novel therapeutic strategies are needed. MCLs express high levels of cell-surface CD20 and are

CMA-676 (gemtuzumab zogamicin) is an antibody-targeted chemotherapeutic agent consisting of a humanized anti-CD33 antibody linked to calicheamicin, a potent cytotoxic

Originally described in the 1980s, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is an indolent, B-cell lymphoma that has been reclassified by the revised European-American Lymphoma (REAL) classification system as extranodal, marginal

Ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) is an anti-CD20 murine immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) kappa monoclonal antibody conjugated to tiuxetan that forms a strong chelate with the pure beta-emitting isotope yttrium-90 (90Y). Mechanisms of action include

While response rates of 50% have been reported after treatment of patients with low-grade follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) using the chimeric monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (Rituxan), only minimal data are available on

There is no standard treatment of stage III-IV follicular lymphoma patients with a low-tumor burden. Rituximab (Rituxan), a chimeric anti-CD20 antibody, is active in pretreated patients with an overall response (OR) rate of 50% and good tolerance.

Randomized trials are defining the role of autologous stem-cell transplantation in aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), but there is less experience with this treatment in follicular lymphomas. Approximately 40% to 50% of patients with follicular NHL are in remission 4 to 5 years following autologous stem-cell transplantation. Results from phase II studies and retrospective analyses are remarkably similar, despite differences in patient populations, preparative regimens, use of purging, and source of stem cells. Nevertheless, there is little evidence of a plateau in disease-free survival curves, and we do not know whether patients are cured or overall survival is prolonged. Relapses 9 years following transplantation have been described.[1]

Most patients with advanced-stage follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) are not cured with conventional therapy. The use of high-dose therapy and autologous stem-cell transplantation in patients with relapsed follicular

We previously reported that “in vivo purging” with rituximab (Rituxan) during stem-cell collection is safe and does not adversely affect engraftment. We now report on our transplant experience with rituximab. From June 1998 to December

PORTLAND, Oregon-A rationally designed drug now known as STI 571 is both effective and well tolerated in treating certain leukemia patients that have not responded to other therapies. The results of two phase I clinical trials using STI 571 for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were reported by Brian Druker, MD, of the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, at the ASH meeting. The trials were conducted in collaboration with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Novartis Pharmaceuticals in East Hanover, New Jersey, and the University of California at Los Angeles.

NEW YORK-Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is an aggressive disease. But improved diagnosis with cytogenetic examinations and other special studies have made it possible to select the most effective induction therapy, Frederick R. Appelbaum, MD, told patients at a teleconference sponsored by Cancer Care Inc. and the Leukemia Society of America.

NEW ORLEANS-The monoclonal antibody tositumomab (Bexxar) showed promising efficacy in low-grade and follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in several preliminary studies reported during poster presentations at the ASH meeting.

NEW ORLEANS-2-Chlorodeoxyadenosine (cladribine, 2-CdA [Leustatin]) can produce response rates of 80% and higher in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), according to two studies presented at the ASH meeting. One study examined 2-CdA as monotherapy, and the other studied it combined with mitoxantrone (Novantrone).

BOSTON-Adding rituximab (Rituxan) to cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (CHOP) induction therapy may provide a cleaner source of autologous stem cells for use following high-dose therapy in mantle cell lymphoma, Orion Howard, MD, reported at the ASH meeting.