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Jeremy S. Abramson, MD, MMSc
Jeremy S. Abramson, MD, MMSc
Posted: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Induction therapy with bendamustine and rituximab (BR) and rituximab and cytarabine (RC) remains an effective therapeutic strategy in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), according to the results of the ECOG-ACRIN EA4181 study, presented at the 2024 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 4409). The observed long-term outcomes are comparable to those of other established induction strategies, explained Christine E. Ryan, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and colleagues.
A total of 88 patients with previously untreated MCL were recruited from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) trial (n = 23), the Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) trial (n = 18), or the DFCI off-trial (n = 47). All patients were transplantation-eligible. Patients in the DFCI trial were treated with BR followed by RC. Patients in the WUSTL trial were treated with an alternating pattern of BR and RC. Patients in the off-trial DFCI cohort received treatment with BR and RC and had a PET or CT scan after induction therapy. In addition, a small cohort of patients (n = 75) underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).
The study authors reported a 9.9-year median progression-free survival across all patient groups; overall survival for all patients was not reached at the time of presentation. At the 8-year interval, the median progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 63% and 71%, respectively. Subset analyses in the patients who underwent ASCT revealed the median progression-free survival was not reached. At the 8-year interval, overall survival and median progression-free survival rates were 76% and 86%, respectively. Furthermore, 24 deaths were reported, 11 of which were found to be associated with progression of MCL.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit ash.confex.com.
2024 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition
