Retreatment with rituximab in 178 patients with relapsed and refractory B-cell lymphomas: A single institution case control study

The role of rituximab retreatment in relapsed B-cell lymphoma is not well known. We undertook a single center retrospective cohort study to investigate the efficacy of retreatment with rituximab with or without chemotherapy in patients with relapsed and refractory B-cell lymphomas. We only included patients treated first-line and in first progression; 178 patients were included in the study, of whom 29 had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and 28 had follicular lymphoma (FL). The overall response rate for the first treatment was 81 and for the second treatment was 66. The median progression-free survival (PFS) for all patients from diagnosis was 13.2 months and from relapse was 12.5 months (not statistically different). For DLBCL the median PFS from diagnosis was 9.6 months and from relapse was 8.4 months, and for FL the median PFS from diagnosis was 26.4 months and from relapse was 19.2 months (not statistically different). The 5-year overall survival was 57. In a historical comparison with rituximab-naive patients, rituximab-retreated patients had a shorter time to initial relapse than control patients, but there was no difference between the two groups for PFS from relapse. In conclusion, retreatment with rituximab, with or without chemotherapy, yields a high overall response rate in patients with relapsed and refractory B-cell lymphomas. Relapse occurring after rituximab-containing therapy appears to be more aggressive than that occurring after chemotherapy alone. The outcome of retreatment, in terms of progression-free survival, is similar to that of primary treatment

Pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone is active and well tolerated in bortezomib and lenalidomide-refractory multiple myeloma: Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome 2009-02

International audienceThe combination of pomalidomide and dexamethasone can be safely administered to patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and has significant efficacy, although the optimal regimen remains to be determined. Patients with MM whose disease progressed after multiple lines of therapy have limited treatment options. We designed a multicenter, phase 2 randomized study assessing two different dose regimens of pomalidomide and dexamethasone in advanced MM. Treatment response was assessed centrally. Pomalidomide (4 mg) was given orally on days 1 to 21 (arm 21/28) or continuously (arm 28/28) over a 28-day cycle, plus dexamethasone given weekly. Eighty-four patients (43, arm 21/28 and 41, arm 28/28) were randomized. The median number of prior lines was 5. Overall response rate was 35% (arm 21/28) and 34% (arm 28/28), independent of the number of prior lines and level of refractoriness. Median duration of response, time to disease progression, and progression-free survival was 7.3, 5.4, and 4.6 months, respectively, which was similar across cohorts. At 23 months follow-up, median overall survival was 14.9 months, with 44% of the patients alive at 18 months. Toxicity consisted primarily of myelosuppression, which was manageable. The efficacy and safety data presented here, along with data from other phase 2 trials, suggest that pomalidomide 4 mg per day on days 1 to 21 of 28 with dexamethasone should be investigated in future trials. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (No. NCT01053949)