All News

This phase II trial investigated the safety and efficacy of a combined-modality treatment with rituximab (Rituxan) and fludarabine (Fludara) in patients with fludarabine- and anthracycline-naive chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL).

Rituximab (Rituxan) is a chimeric IgG1 anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody increasingly used in the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Previous in vitro studies have suggested the role of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and FcgR-positive effector cells (natural killer and macrophage) in the antitumor effects of anti-CD20 antibodies, but the actual mechanism of rituximab action in vivo remains largely unknown. The FCGR3A gene coding for the FcgRIIIa receptor displays a functional dimorphism with either a phenylalanine (FCGR3A-158F) or a valine (FCGR3A-158V) at amino acid 158, with a higher affinity of human IgG1 and increased ADCC for the latter. The aim of this study was thus to determine the influence of this FCGR3A polymorphism on clinical and molecular responses to rituximab.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is prepared from large pools of plasma from healthy donors and is widely used to treat autoimmune diseases, especially immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Human polyclonal antierythrocyte antibodies, such as anti-D, can also be effective at treating ITP in individuals expressing the appropriate antigen. The demand for IVIG and anti-D exceeds the supply, and the development of a recombinant product to replace these human-derived blood products would be highly desirable. We have hypothesized that monoclonal antibodies directed against red cells may be effective in inhibiting immune forms of thrombocytopenia.

ROCKVILLE, Maryland-The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of Gleevec (imatinib mesylate, Novartis) for the treatment of c-kit-positive inoperable and metastatic malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).

WASHINGTON-Most states get a failing grade in the latest assessment of spending on antitobacco programs. The updated report on how the states are allocating the money they receive from legal settlements with the tobacco industry shows that only five states are providing funds for tobacco prevention programs at or above the lowest amounts recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In this second portion of a two-part interview, Linda L. Emanuel, MD, PhD, discusses the future of bioethics. Part I highlighted end-of-life care and physician-assisted suicide, while part II focuses on organizational ethics and future issues in bioethics.

A recent report on obesity released by US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher said that about 300,000 people in the United States die each year from diseases related directly to being overweight, including heart disease and cancer.

STANFORD, California-The cost-effectiveness of rituximab (Rituxan) combined with CHOP chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan, Neosar], doxorubicin HCl, vincristine [Oncovin], prednisone) in the treatment of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma compares favorably to other oncology therapies in this setting, according to a study presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

ANN ARBOR, Michigan-Tositumomab with radioactive I-131 attached (Bexxar) is more effective than the unlabeled antibody in relapsed or refractory CD20-positive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), according to Mark S. Kaminski, MD. Dr. Kaminski reported data from a randomized, open-label, multicenter study comparing the two formulations at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology. He is professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor.

HOUSTON-The combination of fludarabine (Fludara) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) plus rituximab (Rituxan), known as FCR, produces "a higher complete remission rate than prior regimens tested" against chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), reported William Wierda, MD, of the department of leukemia at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. In addition, molecular remissions can be demonstrated in a significant number of those responding to the FCR combination.

WASHINGTON-"The search for cancer prevention agents is hampered by the fact that only one biomarker-the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-now offers a simple, noninvasive measure of the cancer process in the body," Robert W. Day, MD, PhD, said at a meeting of the Cancer Prevention Working Group, sponsored by the Cancer Research Foundation of America (CRFA). "The need for cancer biomarkers is critical, not only for their diagnostic benefits but also to provide endpoints for judging the effectiveness of any proposed chemopreventive agents."

ORLANDO, Florida-Adding rituximab (Rituxan) to standard chemotherapy for follicular lymphoma regimens improves the rate and quality of responses and increases clearance of the bcl-2/IgH chimeric gene, according to studies from US and Italian cooperative groups reported at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

BUFFALO, New York-Final data from a phase II study of rituximab (Rituxan) plus fludarabine (Fludara) in low-grade lymphoma show that this combination is associated with excellent antitumor activity, clears bcl-2-positive cells from blood and/or bone marrow in most patients, and is well tolerated, according to Myron S. Czuczman, MD. Dr. Czuczman, who is chief of the Division of Lymphoma at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, presented this single-institution study in a poster session at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

COLUMBUS, Ohio-Concurrent administration of rituximab (Rituxan) and fludarabine (Fludara) produced higher complete response rates in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) than sequential administration, according to results of a phase II Cancer and Leukemia Group B study.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently released Cancer Progress Report 2001-the first in a new series of reports designed to make scientific information on cancer more accessible and understandable. The new report describes and illustrates the nation’s progress in reducing the cancer burden across the full cancer continuum, from prevention through death.

BUFFALO, New York-Median progression-free survival has still not been reached after 6 years median follow-up of 40 patients with low-grade or follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) treated in the first clinical trial of rituximab (Rituxan) in combination with CHOP (cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan, Neosar], doxorubicin HCl, vincristine [Oncovin], and prednisone), Myron S. Czuczman, MD, reported.

ERFURT, Germany-Interim data from a randomized phase III study show that MCP (mitoxantrone [Novantrone], chlorambucil [Leukeran], prednisolone) with or without rituximab (Rituxan) is active in advanced indolent lymphomas. Michael Herold, MD, reporting for the Ostdeutsche Studiengruppe Haematologie/Oncologie (OSHO), said, "The response rate of 81% is within the range of that seen with standard therapies. The complete response (CR) rate of 40% was highly encouraging, particularly given the multi-institutional setting of this study. To date, no significant change in response has been seen with the addition of rituximab to MCP, but further follow-up is needed to determine if the addition of rituximab will improve the duration of response."

BETHESDA, Maryland-The National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Progress Report 2001-a living document that the Institute will update once or twice a year online and every few years in printed form-renders a mixed judgment about the nation’s success in reducing the burden of cancer.

MUNICH-Adding rituximab (Rituxan) increases the efficacy of FCM (fludarabine [Fludara], cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan, Neosar], mitoxantrone [Novantrone]) in relapsed or refractory follicular (FCL) or mantle cell lymphomas (MCL), reported Martin Dreyling, MD. "This is the first randomized study that proves the benefit of rituximab in indolent lymphomas," said Dr. Dreyling, who reported on behalf of the German Low Grade Lymphoma Study Group (GLSG), directed by W. Hiddemann, Munich, at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

HOUSTON-A modified "hyper-CVAD" (cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan, Neosar], vincristine, doxorubicin [Adriamycin], dexamethasone) regimen, which included the addition of rituximab (Rituxan) for CD20-positive patients and the use of laminar airflow rooms for patients who were elderly or had poor performance status, reduced induction mortality in older patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Overall mortality was not changed, because a number of patients died of other causes while in complete remission (CR).

WASHINGTON-If Katie Couric’s on-air exam made colonoscopy a household word, the time may have come for a nationwide campaign to prevent cancer. Any national program for preventing cancer must be relevant, collaborative, and

HOUSTON-Adding rituximab (Rituxan) to fludarabine (Fludara)/cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) (FCR) prolongs survival in patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD. Dr. Garcia-Manero is assistant professor in the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He presented updated data on this study in a poster at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

ORLANDO-A large percentage of HIV-infected patients present with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) as their initial AIDS-defining illness, according to a retrospective study in patients with HIV-related systemic NHL at one institution. Garrett R. Lynch, MD, reviewed the data at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting (abstract 1434).

The cancer community is expressing unanimous approval of President George W. Bush’s appointment of Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, as director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Dr. von Eschenbach was director of the Genitourinary Cancer Center and Prostate Cancer Research Program at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. "[His] extensive experience in cancer research, treatment, and prevention has prepared him extraordinarily well to head the NCI," said Larry Norton, MD, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. "As both a recognized leader in the oncology community and as a cancer survivor, Andy brings a distinctive perspective to this position."

LYON, France-A study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) shows a higher cancer prevalence in the developed world, primarily because of longer life expectancy in richer countries (Int J Cancer 97:72-81, 2002).

LYON, France-A year after he presented interim data indicating that R-CHOP produced better results than CHOP alone against aggressive B-cell lymphomas in the elderly, Bertrand Coiffier, MD, reported that the benefits of the combination of rituximab (Rituxan) plus CHOP (cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan, Neosar], doxorubicin HCl, vincristine [Oncovin], prednisone) increased over time.

SILVER SPRING, Maryland-The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) sent the Food and Drug Administration a mixed message in its votes regarding a new indication for Gliadel Wafer (polifeprosan 20 with carmustine implant, Guilford

ORLANDO-In advanced-stage low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), a regimen of fludarabine (Fludara) plus mitoxantrone (Novantrone) followed by rituximab (Rituxan) is highly effective and well tolerated, according to study results presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH abstract 2534).

BOSTON-A rare pediatric leukemia, previously thought to be a subset of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), is actually a distinct form of the disease, according to investigators who used gene chips to create and contrast genetic profiles of cancer cells.

New research from the AIDS Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), reveals that stress enables the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to spread more quickly in infected persons and prevents antiretroviral drugs from restoring immune system function. The study, which was reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (98:12695-12700, 2001), is the first to pinpoint the molecular mechanisms linking stress and HIV infection. "Popular science has widely suspected that stress weakens the immune system," said Steve Cole, MD, lead author and UCLA assistant professor of hematology-oncology. "Now we’ve uncovered two reasons why."