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Rituximab + Chemo for Grade 3 Follicular Lymphoma
Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk; ePub 2017 Jun 16; Yuan, et al
Rituximab with anthracycline-based chemotherapy significantly improved survival in patients with grade 3 follicular lymphoma (FL) in a retrospective analysis involving 749 individuals.
Participants included people with FL1/2 (n=87); FL3, including 3 subtypes (n=84); and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL; n=411). All were treated with rituximab and anthracycline-based chemotherapy. There was also a historical cohort of FL3 patients who received only anthracycline-based chemotherapy (n=167). Among the results:
- The FL3 group had a significantly better overall and event-free survival than their counterparts who received only chemotherapy.
- They also survived longer than DLBCL patients.
- FL3 subtypes experienced similar overall survival.
- FL3B had a shorter event-free survival than other FL3 subtypes.
- FL3B and DLBCL outcomes were similar.
- The other 2 FL3 subtypes experienced better outcomes than DLBCL patients.
- <Half of FL3B patients have relapsed.
- <20% of the other FL3 subtypes have relapsed.
Yuan, J, Greiner T, Fu K, et al. Rituximab improves the outcome of patients with grade 3 follicular lymphoma receiving anthracycline-based therapy. [Published online ahead of print June 16, 2017]. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. doi:10.1016/j.clml.2017.06.006.