Follicular Lymphoma

A new pooled analysis concluded that the leading cause of death in patients with follicular lymphoma continues to be lymphoma, despite the widespread improvements in overall survival demonstrated with rituximab.

Andre Goy, MD, discusses the data presented at the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting for combination lenalidomide plus rituximab, also known as the R² regimen, for the treatment of patients with relapsed/recurrent follicular lymphoma.<br /> &nbsp;

Jonathon B. Cohen, MD, MS, recently discussed treatment considerations and decisions in the case of a patient with follicular lymphoma.&nbsp;Cohen discussed the case scenario during a&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology</em>&nbsp;live case-based peer perspectives dinner.

The combination of ibrutinib and durvalumab demonstrated a modest clinical benefit for patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma and germinal center B-cell diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, according to the results of a phase I/II trial.

Viola Poeschel, MD,&nbsp;discusses findings from the phase III FLYER trial and how they will impact the treatment landscape for younger patients with favorable-prognosis DLBCL.<br /> &nbsp;

According to findings from the&nbsp;phase IIb SADAL study, selinexor demonstrated deep and durable responses in patients with&nbsp;relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who are not candidates for autologous stem cell transplantation.

In findings reported during the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting,&nbsp;brentuximab vedotin with conventional chemotherapy significantly improved&nbsp;progression-free survival compared with standard therapy for nonpediatric patients&nbsp;with stage III/IV Hodgkin lymphoma.

According to findings from the phase III ECHELON-2 trial presented at the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting, the use of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in combination with chemotherapy demonstrated a clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma. These data were also published online in&nbsp;<em>Lancet Oncology</em>.

Lenalidomide in addition to rituximab, called the R² regimen, led to a significant increase in progression-free survival compared with rituximab alone in patients with&nbsp;relapsed/refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma in results from the phase III AUGMENT trial.

Mosunetuzumab, a&nbsp;CD3 and CD20 bispecific antibody, induced complete remission rates over 30% in patients with&nbsp;relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma and&nbsp;relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or transformed follicular lymphoma, and demonstrated a tolerable safety profile, showing promise for these patients with&nbsp;B-cell indolent and aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas.&nbsp;

Two variants of the chemotherapy regimen R-CHOP resulted in comparable overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with previously untreated stage III or IV indolent B-cell lymphoma, including grades 1 to 3 follicular lymphoma, according to a long-term follow-up analysis from a combined phase II/III randomized trial.

The immunomodulating agent lenalidomide induced a complete response in 74% of patients with high tumor burden follicular lymphoma when used in combination with rituximab and a 4-drug chemotherapy regimen, according to a recent study.

The FDA has granted approval to the&nbsp;rituximab (Rituxan) biosimilar, CT-P10 (Truxima; rituximab-abbs), for the treatment of adult patients with CD20-positive, B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy, making it the first&nbsp;biosimilar approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with NHL.

Andre Goy, MD, chairman and director, chief of lymphoma, and director of clinical and translational cancer research at John Theurer Cancer Center, discusses data from the RELEVANCE trial, which randomized patients with follicular lymphoma in need of therapy to receive either rituximab plus lenalidomide or a physician&rsquo;s choice of bendamustine and rituximab plus CHOP or R-CHOP.

During a presentation at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 13th Annual Conference: Hematologic Malignancies Phillippe Armand, MD, PhD, discusses how novel agents could be used in the future either to postpone, permit, or even replace allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

A greater understanding of molecular pathogenesis in non-Hodgkin lymphoma has led to the identification of rational targets for novel small molecule inhibitors, according to Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD.&nbsp;Combinations of these therapies may also provide greater responses and the potential for therapy&nbsp;discontinuation.

Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) has been granted FDA approval for&nbsp;use in combination with chemotherapy for the frontline treatment of patients with CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma, based on findings from the phase III ECHELON-2 trial.

During the 2018 Association of Community Cancer Centers National Oncology Conference, Olalekan Oluwole, MBBS, MPH, discusses some of the challenges he has encountered with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.

Novel agents and treatment strategies continue to expand the armamentarium in follicular lymphoma, explained John P. Leonard, MD, in a session at the <em>36th Annual </em>CFS<span style="font-size:10.8333px">.</span>

Based on findings from the phase III ECHELON-2 trial, brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) has been submitted to the FDA for approval&nbsp;in combination with chemotherapy for the frontline treatment of patients with CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

With 2 CAR T-cell therapies now approved and more moving quickly through early-phase clinical trials, 4 healthcare experts reflected on the evolving field of CAR T-cell therapy, their understanding of its current and future applicability for patients, the process for administration and the challenges and obstacles that remain unaddressed during an Association of Community Cancer Centers interactive panel.<br /> &nbsp;

David G. Maloney, MD, PhD,&nbsp;reviews the latest developments with CAR T-cell therapy in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

In a 16-0 vote, the&nbsp;FDA&rsquo;s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee has recommended the approval of&nbsp;the rituximab biosimilar CT-P10 for 3 of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody&rsquo;s non-Hodgkin lymphoma indications.

Guidelines from the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group recommend the use of proton therapy in adults with mediastinal lymphomas and for young women. Specifically, clinicians should consider proton therapy in mediastinal disease that spans below the left main stem coronary artery and is near the front of, behind, or on the left side of the heart.

A look back at all the&nbsp;FDA news&nbsp;that happened in the month of&nbsp;September 2018, including several new approvals, priority reviews, a breakthrough therapy designation, and more, in a variety of cancer types.

Patients with CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma who were treated with the combination of brentuximab vedotin and frontline chemotherapy experienced a&nbsp;statistically significant improvement in progression-free and overall survival,&nbsp;according to topline results from the phase III ECHELON-2 trial.

Philip Bierman, MD,&nbsp;discusses the current landscape of central nervous system involvement in aggressive lymphoma and the research that still needs to be conducted.

Antibody&ndash;drug conjugate therapies are making a larger impact on the treatment paradigm for patients with lymphomas, especially following promising data for brentuximab vedotin and inotuzumab ozogamicin.

Pontchartrain Cancer Center was founded in 2005 to serve an area of Louisiana that lacked the necessary resources for cancer care. This community cancer center, with 2 locations in Southeast Louisiana, accommodates any patient to walk through its doors, filling a major unmet need for the community in this rural area.

Duvelisib (Copiktra) has been approved by the FDA for the&nbsp;treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma or relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma.&nbsp;Both indications are for the treatment of patients who have received at least 2 prior therapies.