Combo Therapy with Tositumomab Aids Elderly Lymphoma Patients

NEW YORK APR 26, 2007 (Reuters Health) - Myeloablative anti-CD20 radioimmunotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) can provide safe and effective treatment for elderly patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin"s lymphoma.

"These data suggest that potentially curative therapies should not be denied to patients based solely on age," lead investigator Dr. Ajay K. Gopal of the University of Washington, Seattle, told Reuters Health. "In addition, targeted therapies with individualized dosing strategies, as in this study, may prove useful to both reduce toxicity and improve outcomes in patients of all ages."

Dr. Gopal and colleagues came to this conclusion after studying 24 patients with a median age of 64 years who had received from as few as 2 to as many as 14 prior treatment regimens. The study findings were published in the April 10th issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The patients were given infusions of tositumomab anti-CD20 antibody labeled with tracer for dosimetry purposes, followed 10 days later by individualized therapeutic infusions. ASCT was performed approximately 2 weeks after therapy.

Follow-up, ranging from 1 to 6 years, yielded an estimated 3-year overall survival of 59% and a progression-free survival of 51%. There were no treatment-related deaths, and only two patients experienced grade 4 non-hematologic toxicity.

This study, the researchers conclude, "provides the first suggestion that myeloablative tositumomab is a promising modality with limited toxicity for adults with B-cell non-Hodgkin"s lymphoma who are older than 60 years, though larger multi-center trials are needed to confirm these findings."

SOURCE:

• J Clin Oncol 2007;25:1396-1402.