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Autografting

Rituximab purging and maintenance combined with auto-SCT: long-term molecular remissions and prolonged hypogammaglobulinemia in relapsed follicular lymphoma

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 43, pages 701–708 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

We enrolled 23 patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma (FL) in a prospective single-arm study of auto-SCT combined with in vivo rituximab graft purging and post transplant rituximab maintenance. Minimal residual disease was monitored with quantitative PCR testing. With a median follow-up of 74.2 months, neither median overall survival (OS) nor PFS has been reached. Here, 5-year OS and 5-year PFS are 78% (95% confidence interval (CI) 61–95%) and 59% (95% CI 38–80%), respectively. Time to progression (TTP) with the experimental regimen was significantly improved compared with TTP with the last prior treatment (P<0.001). Durable molecular remissions occurred in 11 of 13 assessable patients. PFS was significantly longer in patients who achieved a molecular remission by 3 months post-auto-SCT (P=0.001). Prolonged hypogammaglobulinemia occurred in most patients; however, no increase in major infections was observed.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partially funded by Genentech. LKH was supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Keenan Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    L K Hicks

  2. Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    A Woods

  3. The Advanced Therapeutics Program, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    R Buckstein, N Pennell, L Zhang, K Imrie, D Spaner, M C Cheung, A Boudreau, M Reis & N L Berinstein

  4. Department of Medicine, London Regional Cancer Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

    J Mangel

  5. Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    M Crump

  6. Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    L K Hicks, R Buckstein, K Imrie, D Spaner, M C Cheung, M Reis, M Crump & N L Berinstein

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  1. L K Hicks
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  2. A Woods
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Correspondence to N L Berinstein.

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Hicks, L., Woods, A., Buckstein, R. et al. Rituximab purging and maintenance combined with auto-SCT: long-term molecular remissions and prolonged hypogammaglobulinemia in relapsed follicular lymphoma. Bone Marrow Transplant 43, 701–708 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.382

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